Jo Willis' venture into the world of retail began in October 2021, when the Forest Reefs woman happened upon an empty shop in Millthorpe.

"I thought 'you know what will look good in there, a boutique," she said.

And thus began her Dust and Sparkles business venture. After a successful few months, she decided that expansion was on the cards and opened a pop-up version of her store within the Orange City Centre at the start of August.

"I just want to keep busy and I wanted to see how the business does. I just loved this space," she said.

"This is just a pop-up to see how we go, because it isn't a normal shop to have in a shopping centre, it is a bit out of the ordinary. So hopefully we can go permanent afterwards and then have the two."

The lease for the pop-up store runs until January of next year, when she will decide whether she wants to open a permanent second store somewhere within Orange.

"We sell everything from home decor to artwork, clothing, accessories and there will be shoes soon as well," Ms Willis added.

"So far it's all been good. The opening was really busy and the next day people were starting to learn we were here."