Archive for September, 2011

One of Canungra’s newest businesses is the culmination of an interstate love story.
Chantal Powell moved her successful Barewood Gallery from Bronte to Canungra to follow her heart.
She moved north in January to be closer to her farmer beau, Jason Piggott.
Chantal’s recycled timber furniture and giftware shop has quickly won new fans among the day trippers who flock to the quaint village, and with Canungra locals.
Chantal started the business in Bronte, a beachside suburb in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs seven years ago.
She closed the doors on Christmas Eve 2010, packed her life and business into boxes and moved north. It wasn’t a smooth move as her arrival coincided with the January storms and floods.
Jason’s cattle property at Tenterfield was flooded and he was stuck there for weeks mopping up.
That left Chantal time to remodel the former Canungra Retravision store in the heart of the Canungra village into her Barewood Gallery.
Chantal stocks an eclectic mix of goods. Recycled timber and rustic home furnishings, many of which have been lovingly restored by Chantal; antiques, Mexican-inspired furniture, and a custom made line, as well as fresh flowers and gorgeous giftware.
“Originally I wanted to be an importer, but I wanted to be affordable so I had to start doing my own pieces. I like being hands-on,” says Chantal.
“I never thought that I was going to have a business like this. And I feel so grateful for how it has evolved.”
Her furniture – like her life – melds country and beach culture.
An antique timber sideboard may be given a splash of turquoise paint; a timber table is given a lift thanks to a white-washed finish.
“It’s really important to me to bring the bush to the beach and the beach to the bush,” says Chantal.
“I like to have furnishings that can overlap and which will work in any surrounding, something with a bit of character.
“I try to do as much of the work as I can here myself but I have years of contacts with antique dealers and furniture dealers.
“My shop has a broad range of items some Australian, Mexican, English, and French and just whatever great timber pieces I can get my hands on.”
Chantal and her Barewood Gallery have been embraced by the Canungra locals, who know that Thursday morning is flower morning.
Chantal says at heart she is a country girl and actually spent time in rural Queensland as a young girl. Her dad is a farmer and Chantal actually met her boyfriend Jason all those years ago while growing up in Queensland and reconnected with him recently, after 16 years apart.
“We got together and did the long distance thing for a while,” she says.
“But I had the business in Sydney and wanted to find the right shop before I moved.
“We live in a little place at Tamborine and Jason has a farm at Tenterfield and an earthmoving business on the Gold Coast.
“I had my feelers out in Canungra for a few years … I closed my business in Sydney on Christmas Eve and used that Christmas trading money to open up here. I moved here the week of the floods. The container with my whole shop in it ended up under water.”
Chantal says despite the wet start her Canungra shop is proving popular with everyone who visits.
She’s gaining a strong following for her Australian-made scented candles and lovely giftware. The flowers, which are usually available Thursday to Sunday, are also popular.
“People know they can come in and get a beautiful gift for between $15 and $20 and have a look at the furniture.”
Barewood Gallery is located at 29 Christie St Canungra and is open 9am to 5pm every day except Tuesday.