While Covid has caused a lot of heartache and misery, there are still some great success stories to come out of this pandemic.
Being at home during the lockdown last year, Sydney based parents Olivia and Patrick Rudomino were inspired by their three active and busy children to create the My NooK modular range of play sofas.
“We wanted to create something beautiful that our children could engage with and take ownership of and this is where NooK was born,” they explain.
“It’s space-smart, stylish furniture that offers child-size fun with adult-size comfort and durability and, because it’s 100 per cent Australian made, it’s quality you can trust, that supports local manufacturing and employment opportunities.”
The husband and wife team were always committed to producing their NooKs in Australia from the outset, but it was a long journey finding a way to do this at the quality level they wanted and at a price that they felt was acceptable.
“Starting NooK was about creating something for the future and supporting industry and our local community was crucial in that process. Buying Australian made has always been a priority for our family personally―we have three children and we feel a level of responsibility to support local businesses. We are so proud of the fact we have been able to grow our operation so quickly and employ so many new faces.”
Indeed, a new manufacturing facility has been added to fulfil the incredible demand for this versatile piece of family-friendly furniture.
“We couldn’t be happier with the customer response to our product which has seen us receive over 300 five star reviews and build a community of over 2,200 NooK owners on our Facebook Club. Our customers are passionate about our products and we love to see pictures of the ways they enjoy them in their homes. We consistently receive lovely feedback from customers ranging from our quality fabric, customer service and the many ways you can use our versatile NooKs.”
Launching a small business is challenging at the best of times but starting one in the middle of a pandemic some might say is just crazy. However, the lockdown gave Olivia and Patrick the gift of time as they were able to prototype extensively and create the best possible product without the time pressures of ‘normal’ life.
“Supply challenges have been exacerbated during the pandemic, but by ensuring the majority of our components were made in Australia we were able to insulate our business from these pressures. Managing our supply chain carefully has certainly been more crucial during this period but that discipline has also been important in ensuring our business was working most efficiently.
“We are working to increase our production each month which involves growing our team and investing in new machinery to streamline our processes. It is exciting to continue our product development journey and we love the ability to be nimble and adaptable that we have gained from establishing our production in Australia,” they add.
