What are the origins of The Mosaic Store?

The Mosaic Store had very humble beginnings. In 2008, I was working as an accountant in Sydney when the idea first struck. At the time, I was buying a lot of my supplies from overseas as the range in Australia was very limited. One day, while driving to work, I had the idea of importing the supplies myself and starting an online business. Our family was in the process of undertaking a 'mountain change'; we had decided to move from inner Sydney to the beautiful town of Jindabyne, in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. It seemed to be a great time to not only change where we lived but also my occupation.

We started with only a few items of stock, located in the wardrobe of our spare room. Initially we had just a few orders a day; I would pack them and deliver them to the post office before the 1 PM shipping cutoff. After a number of years running the business myself out of the bedroom, we were able to expand to a warehouse and hire staff.

Can you paint a picture of what a typical day looks like at The Mosaic Store? How do you balance creativity with the practical aspects of running the business?

Tell us about the different types of mosaic tiles and services your business offers. What are some of the most popular choices among your customers?

We import tiles from all over the world and store a huge range in our warehouse. We also offer special order tiles imported on request, enabling us to provide an extensive range that we couldn't ordinarily stock in-store.

We handmake our own glass and ceramic tiles, plaster bases, and kits. We are currently developing a new range of porcelain handmade tiles and shapes, made and fired in-store in our kiln. These are some of the most popular along with our kits, as they’re exclusive to us.

What do customers typically appreciate most about your work?

We’ve developed an extensive how-to blog that makes creating accessible and easy to accomplish for a wide audience. Our staff have an extensive knowledge of mosaics and are happy to assist anyone who requires guidance. We love seeing what our customers create with our materials and hearing their stories. We love creating joy.

Can you tell us about the journey of expanding your product line and establishing your own handmade tile production?

I spent years creating the handmade tile range, learning and researching the best possible methods for production. Initially, I made them all myself to understand every aspect of the production. My interest in creativity has allowed me to develop an extensive range. The glass and ceramic tiles are a standalone product line of over 2,000 individual products, which are made to order. This gives us the opportunity to supply all needs.

We had to build an extension on the warehouse to have the space to expand the range to what it is today.

What does the future of The Mosaic Store look like?

We want to continue to develop and grow our handmade range, creating products that our customers that are beautiful and unique. As a business owner, I’m passionate about developing products that are 100% Australian-made, and supporting our customers, staff and local community.