Ready for the next chapter

Rose Harvest has provided Sunraysia residents with a large range of gift and homewares since first opening its doors 25 years ago. Here Sionnie Kelly chats to Rose Harvest owner Sue Clohesy about how she created and built the business into what it is today. Picture: Carmel Zaccone

WHEN you enter Rose Harvest it can be difficult to know where to look first.

Candles, pots, plants, seats, baskets, shelves, cards, and basically anything and everything you could think of for your home, line the walls and floor.

“It’s that kind of shop where you can spend hours and not see everything,” owner Sue Clohesy says.

“There’s so much in here for lots of different tastes.

Rose Harvest was founded 25 years ago and since then has existed in many different incarnations.In the beginning it was based in Irymple on Sixteenth Street.

“It started off as a love of fresh flowers,” Sue says.

“I planted 800 fresh flowers with my family, that’s where the name Rose Harvest came from, and we decided we were going to open a fresh flower business but include some antiques in amongst the fresh flowers and homewares.”

As the years went on, homewares and antiques became more popular than flowers and Rose Harvest continued to expand.

Sue found more stock to fill it with and relocated the store to different locations about five times.

Rose Harvest came to Mildura’s CBD about nine years ago and with that move came a new look.

Gradually antiques stopped being popular and the focus switched to brand new home wares.

But many of Rose Harvest’s customers remained loyal and loved the chance to pop in and discuss their decorating needs with Sue and her staff.

“I’ve made so many friends from people coming in,” Sue says.

“A lot of people have been with us since the first day we came in and still come in. 

And then a younger generation have now evolved into being our customers as well as the regulars. But we get to know them all, we get to know their tastes, their house and what they like.”

Sue’s sister Linda Westhead has also loved the chance to be involved in the business.

“My house has always looked very good,” Linda says laughing. “I’ve been really lucky to be able to work with Sue, especially with us being sisters.”

Linda has been a part of the business since it first started and admits there are many, many things she loves about it, such as the buying trips.

“Sue and I would have a week in Melbourne and just shop so that was really good,” she says.

The pair have enjoyed some great times, as well as tough times, together at Rose Harvest.

There have been dust storms colouring stock red, leaky roofs and a great deal of moving.

In fact it was in the heat of summer three years ago that Sue decided to relocate the store to Langtree Avenue.

“It was so hot,” Sue says laughing

“It was really awful,” Linda admits.

“But there were still good things about it too because we were all doing it together. There’s just something nice about a business that’s been going for such a long time and we’re all pretty close.”

Good staff help make a business thrive and Sue is thankful for all the loyal people who have worked for her business.

They have added to the joy and fun of owning a much-loved Mildura store but have perhaps made Sue’s most recent business decision a difficult one. 

Although she loves her job, Sue is keen for a change and is selling Rose Harvest.

“I think you get to a stage where you need to probably just change your life a little bit and it’s been a six-day a week job for a long, long time,” she said. “I’ve got a few things I wan to do and then I’ll look to do something different.”

But there is no denying that Rose Harvest is an amazing accomplishment.

“It’s probably the best job in the world,” Sue says. “And I would love to see someone else take over and get some fresh ideas in.”