Canberra has no shortage of family businesses, with some having started as far back as the 1920s and are still operating today. This is a sponsored post.

THERE’S something special about a family business, where skills and legacy are passed between generations.

Canberra has no shortage of family businesses either, with some having started as far back as the 1920s and are still operating today.

Meet some of the family businesses and family-friendly businesses who proudly share expertise both in their family and with the Canberra community.

Tattoo shop where everyone’s welcome

THE family at Canberra Ink is proud to run a tattoo shop where everyone feels safe and comfortable, says owner Gabrielle Riley.

“We have a range of female and male artists who create a safe, clean and friendly environment,” she says.

“Whatever your background, sexuality, race, everyone is welcome here.”

At the family-friendly business, many of the artists are parents, so Gabrielle says they understand the balancing act of having children.

“We have artists who do hours around school so we strive to make it flexible for customers who are parents, too,” she says.

“We’re a child-friendly studio, people are welcome to come in and have a chat with us and bring their children.”

Adding to the flexibility, she says the store offers free consultations both in-person and online.

“We’re not one of those ‘get people in and out’ places, we want to provide a personal experience in addition to the piece they get,” she says.

“We have a chat with people about what they want to achieve and how we can help them achieve that, and we’re always happy to offer suggestions or advice.”

Canberra Ink is also passionate about giving back to the community, Gabrielle says.  

“We’re all Canberra locals, we’re always trying to support local charities and other businesses and put the money back into Canberra,” she says.

Canberra Ink, 2/68 Emu Bank, Belconnen. Call 0455 899766 or visit canberraink.com.au or facebook.com/canberraink

Father-son duo improves health naturally 

KINGSTON Natural Therapies focuses on identifying the cause of people’s health problems, not just treating the symptoms, says naturopath of 40 years, Guy Clews.

“The thing that distinguishes naturopathy from mainstream western medicine is addressing underlying causes of poor health,” says Guy.

“We use only natural remedies including vitamins, minerals, herbal medicine, nutrition advice, allergy detection and more. We never prescribe drugs.”

Running the business with his son Luke, who’s also a naturopath, Guy says the therapy has a very wide range of applications.

“We can help people with issues like poor immunity, insomnia, anxiety, depression, problems with the gastrointestinal tract and allergies, to name a few,” he says.

“Everyone is quite different and we focus on each individual in finding treatment that helps them.”

Guy says it’s “tremendously rewarding” to see the difference their clinic makes in the lives of their patients.

“The majority of our people come to us with problems that have been chronic. They’ve often been elsewhere to get therapy and it hasn’t worked,” he says.

“When we’re able to identify the underlying cause and remove the symptoms, our clients are eternally grateful, and it’s enormously fulfilling to see their lives improve.” 

Kingston Natural Therapies, 49 Jardine Street, Kingston. Call 6295 6660, email info@kingstonnaturaltherapies.com.au or visit kingstonnaturaltherapies.com.au 

Three generations of selling shoes

HAVING operated for almost a century, Frawley’s Shoes is one of Canberra’s oldest family businesses.

It started with brothers Thomas and Joseph Frawley who were selling shoes from a truck in 1927 when Canberra was building Parliament House (now Old Parliament House) before establishing a store in Garema Place in 1958. 

Staying in the family, brothers John and Ted Frawley took over from their dad and uncle, and now Lisa, Ted’s daughter, is the third generation family member to run the store.

“Between the staff here we have over 150 years of combined experience selling shoes,” Lisa says.

A provider of footwear for a huge range of purposes, Lisa says Frawley’s Shoes has a July sale where everything in the store is between 10 and 50 per cent off.

“Just some of the brands on offer include Ziera, FRANKiE4, Rieker and Remonte and we also specialise in orthotics,” she says.

“We’re incredibly proud to still be selling shoes to the district after all this time.”

Frawley’s Shoes, 26 Garema Place, Civic. Call 6247 9104 or visit frawleysshoes.com.au

Offering quality flooring since the ‘70s

ENDEAVOUR Carpets Fyshwick offers the largest range of top quality floor coverings in Canberra and Queanbeyan, according to an Endeavour Carpets spokeswoman. 

Established in 1970, Endeavour Carpets says the business has maintained its original objective of displaying exceptional choices of carpet, timber, laminate, cork floating floors, vinyl, vinyl planks and rugs.

Endeavour Carpets says their Fyshwick-based showroom is known as Canberra’s “greatest floor show” with thousands of samples on display, and an experienced team of flooring specialists to make the customer’s experience as easy as possible. 

“Our showroom is so great other retailers send their customers to view our huge range of top quality floor coverings,” the spokeswoman says. 

“As a family business, Endeavour Carpets appreciates that customers are spoilt for choice in a competitive market place, and so maintains an objective to offer the best service and products available and for the best possible price.” 

When customers visit, Endeavour Carpets says they experience good old fashioned service from a long-standing, local family business. 

“This is what really sets Endeavour Carpets apart from any regular carpet store,” she says.

“At Endeavour Carpets, we don’t just endeavour, we do.” 

Endeavour Carpets, 33 Isa Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 6132, email info@endeavourcarpets.com.au or visit endeavourcarpets.com.au

Furniture sale has up to 50 per cent off

TIMBERLAND Furniture is having a store-wide sale where its quality furniture is between 20 and 50 per cent off, says owner Tony Purdy.

As part of the sale, Tony has a range of Tasmanian Blackwood, one of Australia’s most beautiful and sought-after timbers.

“Tasmanian Blackwood is a prestigious hardwood with a warm and natural colour,” he says.

“It can adorn different rooms of the house, and can be complemented by any piece of furniture. You can’t beat it as far as I’m concerned.” 

With lots of the furniture in store being Australian-made, Tony says people get value for their money with beautiful materials used to make the furniture.

“We have families in the store all the time looking for furniture to help bring their home to life,” he says.

“There’s almost anything a home needs: bedding, dining suites, TV units, coffee tables, buffets and more.”

Timberland Furniture, 7/17 Iron Knob Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 7411, email timberlandfyshwick@gmail.com or visit timberlandfurniture.com

Pat’s got more workwear than ever before 

SEEARS Workwear has recently extended its floor space to cater for its largest range of winter workwear stock ever – the biggest in the region, says owner Pat Seears.

With more than 30 years of providing quality work clothes to the Canberra region and a team that’s backed with more than 90 years’ combined industry experience, Seears Workwear knows what working people are after, says Pat, who runs the business with his son Shane.

The store also has workwear for chefs, paramedics and firefighters, says Pat, who knows the needs of local businesses and supplies many Fyshwick businesses with their work uniforms. 

Stocking work apparel such as high-vis workwear, jackets, jeans, shoes and hats, he says: “Everything is the best quality from the best manufacturers.” 

Located on Barrier Street, he says their stock includes safety work boots, leather shoes and steel-toed canvas shoes, from brands such as Puma, Rockport and Dunlop. 

Seears Workwear can also assist companies through their corporate uniform services, which provides customised embroidery services for promotional clothing and business uniforms. 

Seears Workwear also has stores in NSW and Queensland, and Pat says they deliver all over the country. 

Seears Workwear, 60 Barrier Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 4111 or visit seearsworkwear.com.au

Innovative agency embraces new technology 

WHEN Peter Tolhurst started Real Estate Australia, an ACT real estate agency, in 2001, people were still connecting to the internet with dial-up and backing up to floppy disks. 

Real Estate Australia has been embracing new technology since, and Peter, a real estate agent with more than 30 years’ experience, says they now have amazing technology to provide better care of their properties.

Peter, who’s also a licenced auctioneer and a licenced builder, says when he first started the company, he secured the name Real Estate Australia so clients could remember them amongst all the big franchises and larger agency names.

“Little did I know how valuable these keywords [would be with some of them being the] most searched words on Google,” he says.

“[It’s] become such a great asset to our business and clients.” 

Peter says the agency has always focused on innovation.

“We have a great tech team headed by Mike Tolhurst who has overseen the move to the cloud and the introduction of secure owner portals where owners can access their property details 24/7 from anywhere,” he says.

“With almost 50 per cent of our owners living overseas, they find this a great way to keep informed about their property and communicate with us.

“When selling it’s all about making sure your property is exposed to the right buyer as they search for their next property by using all the portals, Google optimisation and analytics, with more information that includes video and virtual tours.”

Real Estate Australia, 39 Brierly Street, Weston. Call 6287 4577 or visit realestateaustralia.com.au

Rory provides trusted roofing services 

“THE roof is the most important part of the home,” says ISL Home Maintenance and Repairs owner Rory Martens.

A qualified roofer with more than 15 years’ experience, Rory offers a wide range of services such as work on downpipes, skylights, verandah roofs, patio roofs, leaf guards, gutter cleans, roof leaks and old-to-new gutter replacements.

Rory’s work has inspired his 11-year-old son, Lucas, to want to follow in his footsteps.

“Lucas gets into it where he can, he’s keen to be a tradie so he comes and helps me with certain jobs,” says Rory.

“He’s very good at carrying stuff and certainly holds up the team some days.”

Rory says it’s vital to get on top of roof maintenance and repair before any bigger issues can arise.

“If there are leaks in the roof or problems with the gutters then it can just cause a knock on effect where other parts of the house become badly damaged,” he says. 

To stop that from happening, Rory says he can provide a full inspection and quote and works with customers to get a result they can put their trust in.

“If I start a job I’m there to the finish, I don’t come and go during,” he says.

“At the end of the day if the client is happy, I’m happy.”

ISL Home Maintenance and Repairs. Call Rory on 0431 556307 or email rorymartens13@gmail.com

Helping couples create the perfect wedding 

JENNIFER Nagy of Your Canberra Celebrant says she’s passionate about helping couples make their wedding day one they’ll remember forever.

Having been a professional photographer for more than 28 years, Jennifer says she’s seen many weddings in intimate detail and now as a celebrant she’s turned that experience into helping couples organise their perfect ceremony.

“It’s so wonderful to be part of these special days,” she says.

“I can help every step of the way, whether it’s settings, rehearsals, legalities and paperwork, helping with ideas for vows, taking photos and more.

“I’m also a keen gardener and studying floristry so I can offer beautiful fresh cut flowers, I can make bouquets and make button holes.”

While she’s very comfortable celebrating big weddings, Jennifer says she particularly specialises in helping craft more intimate occasions to help those who might not have a lot of money to spend.

And she says she’ll be fully vaccinated by the end of July to ensure that couples can feel extra comfortable during these strange times.

“I really like to get to know the couple as much as I can so that I can centre the day around them and their love story,” she says.

Jennifer’s also proud to offer her experience and passion as a funeral celebrant, where she can help people farewell their loved ones.

Your Canberra Celebrant, call 0435 119981, visit yourcanberracelebrant.com, email jennifer@yourcanberracelebrant.com or visit instagram.com/yourcanberracelebrant

Taking the stress out of moving

HOUSE to Home co-owner Renee LeGrande says their team of experienced packers have been saving Canberrans hours of time and stress by helping get their property ready for sale, renovations, insurance work, downsizing or relocating.

“We specialise in packing up all your treasured possessions and can sort, pack, style and remove all items whether they are going with you, or to the local charity stores,” says Renee.

“We meticulously pack and label all goods to minimise the impact and disruption of moving home.”

Renee says the team offers a personalised service, where they recognise every client has different needs and expectations.

“Some literally just want the kitchen, bathroom and wardrobes packed, or the fridge and pantry,” she says. 

“Others want everything that needs boxing up, so that is everything that is in a cupboard or behind a closed door.”

Renee says they also offer a full “walk-in, walk out” service, where clients can give the team the keys and they’ll completely clear the existing property.

“We remove the furniture, take the gifted items to the charity store and get the property cleaned, we can even pop the garbage bins out that final time,” she says.

“Then, at the new home, we can set everything up, pop the clothes in the wardrobe, make up the beds and ensure the milk is in the fridge!”

House to Home. Call 0457 456767, email info@house-to-home.com.au or visit house-to-home.com.au