The Embroidery Collective

When you live and work in a mining town like Moranbah, the odds of needing to toss on a uniform and PPE before your morning cuppa is pretty high.

Halfway up Bacon Street in the centre of town is Embroidery Collective, a thriving shop owned by Moranbah local Sharon Easdale.

In it you’ll find uniforms, PPE, bags and gifts, as well as everyday wear. It also hosts a workshop out the back where custom logos and names can be added across a range of items.

In 2016, Sharon Easdale converted her husband’s backyard shed to an embroidery workshop where she started off embroidering towels and teddy bears for the locals.

But, as often happens word got out about her skills and Sharon needed to invest in a much bigger premises and a storefront.

Twelve months later she found the location on Bacon Street, and it was then that Embroidery Collective came onboard the Local Buying Program to provide uniforms for BHP/BMA.

The Local Buying Program, in partnership with C-Res, aims to add value to local communities by using quality local suppliers like Embroidery Collective.

And with the difficult times of COVID-19, Sharon credits being part of the Local Buying Program with helping them through.

’It’s enabled us to come back quickly… and keep everybody working.’

But it’s not just in the difficult times that the Local Buying Program was helpful for Embroidery Collective.

Having been part of it for several years, Sharon says ‘The Local Buy Program has been huge for Embroidery Collective. It’s a big part of our life.

We love being able to support the local area for BMA/BHP, through C-Res, so that we can provide what they’re looking for on time.

It just takes the hard work out of being a vendor. It’s big to me because it supports us as locals. We have a chance in a very, very big market’.

Moranbah is a thriving community of around 9000 full-time residents. But as a hub for the Bowen Basin mining region it has an important role and a great atmosphere.

“We love it here. We’ve got three schools, one high school, and two state schools, and that provides for our children. I’ve actually got grandchildren in this town now, too. So yeah, it’s a lovely family place to come to.’

From a shed in a backyard, to a store where her only employee was her daughter, Embroidery Collective is now a successful business that supports Sharon and her three employees.

Her dream for the future is to become even bigger so she can employ more locals.

And with over a hundred local and regional businesses already using her services, Sharon’s dreams are looking like they will likely come true.