Top Honours A NSW South Coast retailer wins international accolades.

In a tough year for retail, one homewares business on the NSW South Coast has cause for celebration, writes Elizabeth Wilson.

It’s been a roller-coaster six months, but Tara and Danny Solberg are riding high after winning a coveted international retail award. The husband-and-wife team are owners of homewares and furniture business, Few & Far, based on the NSW South Coast. They’ve come through a bushfire-ravaged summer and the economic havoc of Covid-19 to win honours at the Global Innovator Awards (GIA), recently announced in Chicago, USA. Theirs was one of six businesses worldwide to receive the Global Honouree Award, in recognition of “retail excellence and setting the standard for global retail moving forward”.

Understandably, Tara and Danny are thrilled to bits. “We’re so excited to think that what started as a little store in Huskisson, a tiny coastal town, is now recognised globally,” says Tara.

The awards, run by the International Housewares Association, honour excellence in home goods retailing. The Solbergs’ business was nominated by the Australian Gift Guide magazine and the award was announced via live stream at 1am, Australian time. “It’s the first award we’ve received in our pyjamas!” Tara says.

Tara and Danny, both graphic designers by trade, opened their first Few & Far store in 2009. Since then, they’ve opened two more stores in the towns of Berry and Bowral. They’re all wonder-filled emporiums, offering curated collections of handcrafted and one-off products, vintage and new, sourced from India, China, Indonesia and Turkey. “Our catch-cry is ‘bringing the world home’,” says Tara. “When we find gorgeous pieces on our travels, we bring them home to share. We focus on pieces that have a story to tell, with soul and personality.”

Tara and Danny also customise their furniture collections and design their own cushion and textile ranges. Their store fit-outs are sumptuous, and they pay attention to all the little details – from designing their own swing tags to the custom-printed tissue paper. “We want our customers to have an experience when they shop in our stores,” says Tara.

In tandem with growing their business, they’re also parents to Jonah, six, and Sari, three. “We’ve built our business so we can make the most of the South Coast lifestyle – and a big part of that involves spending time with our children,” says Tara.

In response to recent challenges, the pair have been nimble. “It’s been a roller coaster but I feel we’ve managed it well,” says Tara. In recent months the savvy duo increased their online offering (“Sales have been crazy!” Tara says), released how-to videos for home decorators and launched an e-decorating service. Their plans? “We’d love to open another store – our largest yet!” Watch this space.

Few & Far; www.fewandfar.com.au

“We focus on pieces with a story to tell.” Tara Solberg