Melbourne couple Belinda Whiting and Mark Phillips juggle their uber-successful Belinda Janes homewares shop and their equally flourishing online store ( belindajanes.com) with a busy family life that includes three young kids … and they wouldn’t change it for the world!
The start of something special …
At 19 years of age, Belinda Jane Whiting started selling aromatherapy products at a local market in Melbourne. From there, Belinda’s passion for retailing, coupled with a good “gut feeling” and a small business loan, led her into taking on a lease for a shop and stocking it with objects of beauty, elegance and usefulness…and so the shopfront store Belinda Janes, located in the Melbourne suburb of Ashburton, was born! This year sees Belinda Janes celebrate 18 years of successful trading.
A love story that works …
Mark and Belinda’s personal story is as successful as their business story. Childhood sweethearts and now self-confessed soul mates, Mark and Belinda operate in well-oiled tandem. Their roles in life overlap and entwine quite harmoniously as they bring up their three young children, Cleo 2, Tyler 6 and Lainey 8 and work together in their thriving business.
Work-life balance is a reality for both Belinda and Mark, because they truly love their day-to-day job descriptions and are of course passionate about their family. The dynamic Whiting-Phillips duo thrive on wearing many, many hats, and when one is at home tending to the children and the domestic duties, the other is at work, either in the store or online or dispatching and organising the warehouse! Belinda and Mark confess their days are long and intense, whilst being full of fun and successful fruition, and when asked, they honestly wouldn’t change a thing!
A recipe for family life …
In the Whiting-Phillips home, the French provincial style kitchen is quite literally the most-loved “engine room”. On any given day, one may find Mark baking a batch of scones for the children’s afternoon tea, while at night the domestic goddess baton is passed to Belinda, as she is the one to prepare the evening meals for the family.
They eat well and belief in fresh and healthy fare – their garden is full of vegetables, herbs and fruit bearing shrubs and their children are involved from planting to picking, and like their mum and dad, enjoy the fruits of their labour! “I think my love of cooking and great food is one of the drivers behind my love of good kitchen and tableware. It all makes for a successful recipe for life,” says Belinda.
A mark of achievement …
Mark and Belinda’s own personal style very much reflects Belinda Janes’; it’s a classical, wholesome style where old melds into modern and a sophisticated take fuses with a simple ethos. Belinda Janes and Belindajanes.com is more than an online business and brick and mortar store retailing beautiful objects of desire and practicality. Belinda Janes is a family-run business, operating on honesty, sincerity and above all quality. It’s also about love. A great love for the things that matter in life.
The Belinda Janes’ mid-year sale has started – both in store and on-line with prices starting at just $1!
Visit the Belinda Janes sale page – deals (and very amazing ones at that!) are set up in categories of $1, $2, $10 & $20.
Belinda Jane’s
190 – 192 High Street, Ashburton,
Victoria 3147 AUSTRALIA
www.belindajanes.com
bj@belindajanes.com
ph /fax 03 9885 9300
Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm
Saturday 9am – 5pm
Beauty and Lace is an online magazine for women. We hope you enjoyed this article!
Thanks for telling our story Lace. Belinda xx
That reminds me Belinda, my 3 year old son loves his cooking set from your store – the coloured whisk is his favourite! Thank you!!