After fighting numerous legal battles, the Koorie people won the right to have control over their ancestral material and in 1985 the trust was housed at the Museum of Victoria, featuring an exhibition of Indigenous materials from South Eastern Australia. The purpose of the exhibition was to share the history and culture of the original Australians with the wider community.
The trust also wanted to promote contemporary Koorie culture. In addition to the exhibition, a small retail outlet was established as a conduit between Aboriginal artists and the wider public so that Koorie culture would not be limited to the realms of a museum. It was also important that the trust supported artists – who in most cases had little commercial knowledge – in the promotion and sale of their products in a safe and nurturing environment.
Since its inception the Koorie Heritage Trust has moved a number of times and the retail store has grown into a fully fledged business stocking a wider variety of products. In 2003 the Koorie Heritage Trust opened its three storey centre including a large retail outlet in Melbourne’s CBD.
The Koorie Heritage Trust store now stocks far more than just artefacts. The store sells bush foods, hampers, luggage wear with Indigenous designs, books, CDs, ceramics, gift boxes, clothing as well as the more traditional line of Indigenous art such as didgeridoos or boomerangs.
Financial manager Shar Richards – who has also been helping out in the retail business since its beginnings – says that although the store’s primary purpose is to educate the wider community about Koorie culture, another important function of the store is to create an income stream to sustain the centre’s operations.
“There are now more non-profits competing for funds than ever. The retail operation is critical to the centre’s growth at a time where funds are depleting,” she says.
“All the proceeds of the retail store go straight to artists and to the Koorie Heritage Trust to expand and improve our collections, exhibitions and education programs. The retail store is ritical to ensuring the Koorie Heritage Centre is financially sustainable so we can continue to promote the interests of Indigenous Australia.”
According to Richards, the store is run as a separate business called Koorie Pty Ltd. The business has its own plans and budgets, landlord, wage requirements and expenses with the intention of generating a profit. The business also ha s its own identity, with merchandising and marketing initiatives independent of the centre.
The Koorie Heritage Trust retail business has a broad customer base ranging from tourists searching for a uniquely Australian souvenir to large companies that wish to deck out their offices with Indigenous art. Most of the art sold in the store comes from South Eastern Australian Indigenous artists.
“The centre specifically promotes Koorie culture, so therefore it stands to reason that we give priority to items from the South Eastern Australia – traditionally Koorie territory,” Richards points out.
“However, we also understand that any good retail store requires a variety of stock to keep it interesting and to cater to a variety of tastes, so we also stock artefacts of other Indigenous Australian groups. By doing so, we are also trying to highlight the diversity of Aboriginal Australian culture.
“By highlighting diversity, we hope to break some of the stereotypes about Aboriginal culture and art. It can be quite challenging getting the message across to the wider public, because there are certain expectations out there.
“What many people don’t understand is that Australia is made up of over 300 Aboriginal nations. Indigenous culture in Australia is far more diverse than what most people think.
“When people come into the store they assume all Indigenous art is pictures made with circles or images of native Australian animals. Although much of Indigenous art may fit into this category, it is also much more than that.”
Stock replenishment and the challenge of time lags
Aside from breaking the stereotypes of Indigenous culture, running an Aboriginal retail store comes with a number of challenges unique to Indigenous businesses. According to Richards, one of the greatest hurdles has been maintaining an efficient system of stock replenishment because so many items in the store are handcrafted.
Richards says that the store’s focus on selling original items has in some regards been an advantage because other retail businesses are unable to replicate their range of stock. On the other hand, she points out that stringent systems are required to deal with the problems that inherently go with selling items that aren’t mass produced.
“Because many of the artefacts sold are hand made, the centre can encounter supply chain time lags which can present their own set of challenges for front of house if they aren’t dealt with accordingly,” she explains.
“Time lags usually occur when artists are unable to obtain the right materials to create their work. A delay in supply can also occur due to the nature of creative work. Creativity isn’t something that can always be switched on and sometimes the creative process evolves over time.
“For this reason, we need to factor in time when ordering stock because unlike retail stores that can simply put in an order and have it shipped the next day, we don’t have the luxury of ordering stock as it runs off our shelf. We need to be a little more strategic in our stock replenishment practices.
Product knowledge and educating customers
The Koorie Heritage Trust has a direct relationship with its artists and manufacturers. The benefit of these relationships is that staff have first hand knowledge about the products they sell to the public. Richards says that staff are expected to maintain their knowledge about the history, origins and cultural significance of most items stocked in the store. She points out that this in itself is no small feat considering the variety of items in stock and the frequency of stock changes.
“Educating the public is one of the centre’s primary roles, so we cannot afford to simply stock our shelves without understanding what it is we sell. It’s essential for our staff to stay on top of what we sell because there is a lack of knowledge about Indigenous culture in the wider community,” she explains.
She adds that it’s also important for staff to be sensitive to the meaning and application behind what is sold. Everything stocked within the centre must also be culturally sensitive and staff guide customers as to what is considered appropriate and inappropriate in Koorie culture.
“Whatever is sold in the retail store needs to be handled with respect and should not be offensive to Koorie culture. For example, the didgeridoo is traditionally a male instrument. If women come into the store to buy a didgeridoo for themselves, we actuallydiscourage them from purchasing it. Ultimately, the customer is the decision maker, but it is our role to guide them with our knowledge as much as we can,” says Richards.
The Koorie Heritage Trust has a policy that states that all products are authentic and true to the Indigenous culture. Richards says that no stock should be a fabrication of someone else’s art and it shouldn’t be overly mass produced. When ordering an item from a new supplier, this creates the added burden of investigating the supplier’s background to ensure they are genuine.
The Koorie Heritage Trust – what has it achieved and where is it going?
Despite its challenges, the centre has developed a reputation for its knowledge and its ability to effectively promote the interests of the Koorie community.
In 2007 it won the Victorian Tourism Awards and in 2005 the Koorie Heritage Centre won the Indigenous Governance Awards – an initiative run by BHP Billiton and Reconciliation Australia – against 57 other applicants throughout Australia.
Upon accepting the award, the centre’s CEO Jason Eades said that good governance is important for all organisations, but it is doubly hard for Indigenous organisations which are under twice as much scrutiny as other organisations.
Richards clarified Eade’s statement by saying that the public still has a largely negative view about Indigenous organisations. For this reason, well run organisations such as the Koorie Heritage Trust feel as if they really need to prove themselves beyond what non-Indigenous organisations do to ensure their reputation is upheld. In the face of such adversity, the Koorie Heritage Trust has developed a strong reputation among Victorian businesses and is an integral part of Victoria’s Koorie community. The retail store has assisted countless Indigenous artists both legally and commercially to ensure they are well poised to sell their products without compromise. Consultants within the store advise artists on what they should expect in royalties, provide feedback on pricing, where to pitch the product and how to improve it so it is more marketable.
The centre has also been a source of opportunity for young Koories seeking employment and training opportunities. The centre has a recruitment policy of giving priority to Indigenous Australians and strongly encourages employees to develop a career path by providing them with training and scholarships in their chosen field.
Richards says that the retail store has trained numerous Koories in customer service, stock management, cash handling, visual merchandising and a range of other retail related skills. The centre runs a training initiative in conjunction with a local TAFE where new employees can obtain various retail qualifications.
“The centre has been a great source of opportunity for young Koories seeking a career in retail in a sympathetic and gentle environment,” she explains.
“We have had a number of previous employees who got their start here and have continued on elsewhere. One former staff member now manages Kirrit Barreet Gallery in Ballarat. We have another ex staff member who now works in a retail outlet in Warrnambool who assisted in the training and development program there.”
According to the centre’s website, the Koorie Heritage Trust has had approximately fifty Indigenous Australians trained in various aspects of the business who have gone on to pursue their careers further.
Richards indicates that the business has no plans to slow down. The centre is about to embark on a massive renovation which will create more floorspace in the retail area.
The retail store is also planning visual merchandising improvements, extra lighting and more promotional work to raise the business’s profile.
With over 70,000 visitors to the centre each year, the store is not short of potential buyers. With improvements just around the corner, there will be much anticipation about the amount of extra business it generates.
