The latest story in the Buy Douglas: Build Douglas campaign shines the light on a little boutique doing big things for local artists, in a story of true community support and collaboration.

In the lead up to Christmas, the Buy Douglas: Build Douglas campaign is showcasing different businesses in an effort to encourage everyone to #DoItInDouglas this Christmas.

This week, the video above features the unique homewares shop, MAKER on Grant Street Port Douglas, which showcases products created by Australian and local artists.

Young local entrepreneur Raine Ward is the brains behind the store which she successfully opened earlier this year in the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns.

“I wanted to create a platform to celebrate and showcase local artists” she said.

“Often our local artists rely on the local markets, and their own social media channels alone to showcase and sell their pieces. With COVID restricting travel and events, I wanted to create a space that could connect buyers with artists, not just through our boutique in Port Douglas, but also through the online shop and our social media channels.”

Alongside the store, Ms Ward has created the online blog “Meet The Maker’s” where she celebrates the local artists behind each piece of art in her shop. She wants buyers to appreciate the talent, time, and dedication that goes into each piece.

“Maker is a like a hub, a small market-place that allows buyers to browse hand-crafted artworks from local artists, whilst providing a platform for storytelling,” she said.

“It’s not just about buying a beautiful piece of artwork – it’s about knowing and appreciating the story behind it.”

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Local artists showcased in Maker include Port Douglas local Annetta Mills of Kokee & Ko. Annetta began making her now famous kokedamas as gifts for friends and family. After word spread of her hand-crafted little treasures – effectively living planters, demand for her kokedamas took off, and it wasn’t long before she caught the eye of Raine and was welcomed into the Maker family.

Another local artist, Lana Van Hulst from Lana Nas Studio, has been hand-sewing headscarves from her workshop in Port Douglas since 2014.

Lana is proud to use only certified sustainably sourced fabrics, and her inspiration for making her headscarves is to make women feel good about themselves. The head scarves have become quite an icon of the local maker scene and are a fitting addition to the Maker collection.