Little shop celebrates big birthday

A little shop on the side of the South Western Highway will be celebrating a milestone next week.

Staff, producers and local artists will hold a small gathering to celebrate Harvey Bizee Hand’s “sweet sixteen” birthday on April 1.

The not-for-profit store has been selling locally grown and produced products in its Harvey premises since 2004.

On Friday two of the store’s founding members, Judy Combes and Lois Blackburn, met to discuss the finer details of the morning-tea celebration given the current restrictions on gathering sizes and social distancing.

“We wanted to celebrate this milestone by inviting our customers to drop by next Wednesday to have a cup of tea and some birthday cake,” Mrs Blackburn said.

“We will be having a small morning tea outside and hope our regulars can come and help us celebrate.”

Mrs Combes said the committee members were sad that the third founding member, Wendy Holly, was not going to be part of the celebrations.

A “driving force” behind starting the collective, Mrs Holly died a few months ago after a short illness.

“It’s really sad she can’t help us celebrate, she was such a big part of Bizee Hands,” Mrs Combes said.

Harvey Bizee Hands sources locally grown seasonal fruit and vegetables from Harvey growers, with a few select fruits grown in Donnybrook.

They also sell hand-made and designed crafts and giftware by local artists, providing a way to showcase Harvey-based artists to a broader audience.