Want to buy local? Palmwoods designer provides handy guide

Miranda Hailes has created www.sunnycoastmade.com.au, an online directory of local makers, producers, and brands.

A WEB designer has created an online directory of Sunshine Coast makers after finding that buying local is sometimes easier said than done.

Miranda Hailes, of Palmwoods, launched www.sunnycoastmade.com.au this month to connect local makers and potential customers.

The website, which comes just in time for Christmas shopping, has started with some 90 makers grouped into 12 main categories and 56 sub-categories.

They include artists, coffee roasters, jewellery makers, clothing designers, and gourmet food producers.

A big believer in buying local, Miranda came up with the idea for the website during the height of covid-19 restrictions in Queensland when buying local at markets was not an option.

“My husband and I looked at what products we were purchasing and looked at opportunities where we might be able to buy something locally,” Miranda said.

“I realised that there might have been a lot of products to buy locally but it wasn’t always easy to find them, and that’s when I had the idea for the directory – one place that focused on products made and designed on the Sunshine Coast, and on Sunshine Coast brands as well,” she said.

“I just wanted to bring it altogether in one place that was easy for locals to find what they wanted and that would raise awareness of what’s made on the Sunshine Coast.”

With a background in website design and online marketing, Miranda had the skills and experience to put it together.

Supported by her husband, Ron, Miranda spent months working on the website and researching Sunshine Coast makers, designers, producers and brands.

What she found was that there were twice as many people making original products on the Sunshine Coast than she thought.

“There are so many talented people making so many wonderful products.  We discovered in excess of 800 makers on the Sunshine Coast,” she said.

“I’m constantly blown away. There are so many unique and incredible things made here.”

Some of the Sunny Coast Made finds will surprise even long-term locals. They include Sunshine Coast-made pasta, eskies and carbon-fibre fins for die-hard divers.

Shoppers can search by category and sub-category or window shop through a varied offering.

The website also divides the greater Sunshine Coast, including Noosa, into 15 areas so that shoppers can find products closest to them.

Shoppers will be able to read the stories behind the brands in meet-the-maker articles and photos of makers and producers will allow shoppers to put faces or names to the brands and products.

Miranda hopes more makers will take the opportunity to get on board the website as time goes on, and that both consumers and local businesses support local makers and producers.

She said buying local boosted the local economy by keeping dollars circulating within the community.

It was also an environmentally friendly way to shop because it reduced the need to transport goods long distances, she said

Miranda said another benefit of buying local was that it strengthened community connections. She and Ron chose to bring up their children, aged 5 and 3, at Palmwoods because of its community feel.

However, she feels even closer to the community since discovering and meeting local makers in person and online.

“Along the way, as we were researching the business, it made me fall even more in love with the Sunshine Coast,” she said.

“In the last couple of weeks, I’ve started meeting with people and I’m loving making these connections.”

• Visit www.sunnycoastmade.com.au for more information.