In Conversation with Tara Rowe
We are so honoured to share a few moments with one of our long-standing retail partners Tara Rowe. Business owner, mother and creative at heart, we discuss her journey to date, passions and what venture she is working on for the future.
Thank you for taking the time to share a little of your life and journey with us and our readers. Can you touch on who you are and what makes up your world today.
Thank you so much for having me! My name is Tara and I am the owner of Call Me The Breeze. Alongside being a small business owner, I am a mother of 3, living with my family on a farm on the very wild and raw west coast of South Australia, just outside Port Lincoln.
You have built an incredible business that is widely celebrated within your community. We would love to learn about your journey?
I feel so flattered by this question, and somewhat undeserving! I have always had a passion for beautiful collectables. Whether that be clothing, jewellery, antiques, furniture. The thrill of finding spectacular things has just always filled my cup.
I started with a retail background and that evolved into freelance styling while I was studying Business at university on the Gold Coast. I worked at modelling agencies doing test shoots and did all sorts of projects from magazine covers to celebrity styling. It was the perfect way to learn on the job and express myself creatively which has been such a great foundation for creating content today.
That combination, plus a move across the country to a small town in SA with my now husband, was the conception of what later became Call Me The Breeze. After moving to Port Lincoln (which is my husband’s home town), I had to find something for myself. Being a shop owner was always a dream of mine. So began the hunt for the perfect space, which we found right on the water on the main street in town. We opened our doors and now next year will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary!
Can you share a little about your inspiration for Call Me The Breeze and what drives your passion for the industry?
My inspiration changes and evolves daily! But generally, the Call Me The Breeze aesthetic is an extension of my own. I am very driven by sustainability and most of the brands we work with are the same. Working with sustainable materials and practising sustainability within their businesses.
Right now, we are looking to grow our vintage collection which has been received really well so far. I am just obsessed with the process of sourcing pieces that I know our community will love. I think there are a lot of people out there who want to start wearing more vintage, but find it hard to pick and choose pieces that fit their aesthetic. So I hope to bridge this gap for our customers and curate regular trend-based collections for them.
For the future, I also want to break down the stigma behind boutique shopping, that we only cater to women of a certain age or size. I want nothing more than for women seeking the Call Me The Breeze aesthetic to feel comfortable coming into our stores and confident that they will be able to leave with something special.
What are your key principles for living an inspired life?
I think being authentic and really trusting your gut with what it is that resonates with you. I am particularly inspired by people watching and admiring how others choose to express themselves. Port Lincoln is a small town so people are fairly conservative with expressing themselves with the way the dress compared to a city. You don’t quite have the gift of being anonymous. So it's baby steps here. But right now, most of my style inspiration and guidance for products I want for the shop comes from Tiktok. Where I can essentially be on the street in New York, soaking up what people are wearing, while I sit on my farm, miles from anybody.
What does a normal day look like for you?
Most days I am working from home with my youngest, Alby who is 3. Juggling making snacks, playing Lego whilst also leading my team remotely is always very colourful! But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have been lucky enough to find incredible people to manage the boutique without me there which has allowed me to be at home for my 3 kids while they are little. I do come in to the shop a sprinkle of days a week and it is such a release for me. I love nothing more than being in such a beautiful space, merchandising, helping customers and touching base with my team!
What have you found to be the most challenging area of your business to date and how do you overcome this?
To be honest, I think this year has been the most difficult we’ve seen because of the cost of living increases we are all facing. People are much more conservative with their spending. We have just had to become very selective with what we are buying while diversifying our product mix and focusing on nurturing our community.
Shopping with independent retailers is such a treat. They making shopping fun, unique and interesting! It makes me so sad to see stores closing down. It would be such a loss if all we have left is huge shopping centres and fast fashion. A reminder to shop with your favourite local boutiques today because they need it!
What are you favourite Marloe Marloe pieces?
All of them! But if I had to narrow it down, the Vanity Tray in Deep Sea or the Estelle Bowl in any finish. I love pieces that will get used daily, so these are at the top of my list.
What is creativity consuming you at the moment and what is next for CMTB?
Endless product design research and development for our own footwear and accessories collection, buying for Autumn Winter 24 (currently coveting all of the cute tops to wear with jeans circa 2010!) and exploring new sustainable shopping avenues such as expanding our For Hire collection.