Collaborative Commercial Space, Tanyuk, to Open in Stawell Amid Coronavirus Pandemic | The Stawell Times-News

When one door closes, another opens, and that’s exactly what the creators of Tanyuk Collective just did.

When Ashlea Wilson, Cass Anthony and Bec Star all shut down their individual businesses at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, they were unsure if, or when, they might return.

A brainstorming session saw everything fall into place quickly, as the trio discussed opening a place together and balancing the overhead costs of running a business.

And that’s how Tanyuk Collective was born on the main street of Stawell.

Tanyuk is a word used by the local indigenous community and the language of Djab Wurrung.

“Sonny Secombe has been our go-to guide for the language of our name, which means moon or moon for our area,” Ms. Wilson said.

The new business collection is located at 139 Main Stawell and includes a specialist in beauty and eyelashes, cosmetic tattooing, body art tattooing and spiritual healing under one roof.

“I decided to move from Melbourne about two months ago and the idea came from there,” Ms Anthony said.

“We knew we needed space and the next day, we said it, we found a place.”

Ms Wilson said that the way the business was set up, contact between clients was minimal.

“Because we have our own sole proprietorship and take care of our own clientele, there isn’t a full salon of people coming in and out,” she said.

“With the restrictions in place, every service is still doable.

“The beauty and tattoo industry are known for their hygiene. It’s a big part of learning.”

Ms Star said few changes were to be made in the tattoo industry with the new coronavirus guidelines.

“We already have the highest hygiene standards outside of the medical industry,” she said.

“There is nothing new that has been brought forward that we are not already doing.

“For me, on a personal level, I’m much happier that people are hygiene and germ-conscious and make sure they feel good before they come for treatment.”

Ms Wilson’s business, The Beauty House, has closed at its previous location for 10 weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Not only were there overhead costs coming from the business, but also invoices at home,” Ms. Wilson said.

“It will certainly make it easier to collaborate and share the financial burden.

“We wouldn’t be able to do it all on our own and getting back on our feet after the coronavirus is going to be extremely difficult for many companies.

“Because this is such an unknown time, we have really tried to manage everything we do so that we can work our way through different scenarios that could arise due to the pandemic.”

The beauty industry was one of the first industries to shut down under pandemic government restrictions.

Ms Wilson, who specializes in eyelashes, said time spent at home during the pandemic enabled her to identify the need to balance the lifestyle between home and work.

Ms Anthony, who is also an esthetician and specializes in cosmetic tattooing and eyebrows, traveled frequently from Melbourne to work at the Beauty House site as well.

“Our family is from Stawell and we’ve always come here for vacation,” Ms. Anthony said.

“I have never lived in Stawell but I work here every four weeks.

“Where I lived in Melbourne was beautiful and you weren’t too far from the city but far enough away to always feel like you weren’t in the hustle and bustle of city life.”

Ms Anthony’s children have also switched to the country lifestyle and attend a local elementary school in the area.

“It’s nice to be able to be so close to everything,” Ms. Anthony said.

“In Melbourne, we weren’t too far from school and work, but everything took longer to get there.

“It’s certainly nice to have more free time.”

Ms. Star was looking for an opportunity to open a tattoo and healing center in the area.

“I have a completely different entrance, at the bottom of Star Lane, which is pretty cool because my name is Bec Star,” she said.

“I do personalized tattooing, but another service I offer is also energy tattooing.

“I am a healer and also work a lot with the universe. I also do a lot of energy medicine with a lot of my tattoos. I offer reading, sound healing, chromotherapy and quantum healing.

“I try to integrate everything I believe in into this unique space.”

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