SISTERS-in-law Rebecca Hammond and Kimberly Belmonte are about to start a fresh chapter in their lives after deciding to close their fashion boutique of 10 years, Belle Armoire.
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Mrs Hammond said they decided to temporarily shut the store on Lords Place during coronavirus from a community safety perspective.
"We wanted to do our part," she said.
But during the downtime, they spent more time with family and discovered something they did not expect.
"It gave us time to reflect on the past 10 years and what we wanted to do for our lives going forward," Mrs Hammond said.
"It's been really nice - at the beginning I wasn't a home school mum for sure, but now I think we're nailing it.
"It's such a juggle between giving your business enough time to be successful and giving your family enough time to be a good mum."
With her youngest child starting school next year, she wanted to spend more time with him and study building design, while Mrs Belmonte, a mother of three, also works as a registered nurse.
She said the decision to close permanently came quickly.
"We're so sad that we're not going to see our customers and our staff, but it's also a relief in a way," she said.
"We've had a successful business for 10 years and we're so proud of that - you could come in and have a chat and we never wanted it to feel like it was a pushy environment."
Having worked in retail since she was 14, Mrs Hammond saw a gap in the market in Orange for Australian labels.
Belle Armoire started at 215 Lords Place before outgrowing it five years ago and moving into The Collective alongside Good Eddy.
Mrs Hammond said the move to online retail was the biggest change during the decade.
"During coronavirus, our online presence grew so much more," she said.
Belle Armoire will continue to trade online until stock sells out.
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