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Celebrating 10 Years of Provider Store
For a decade, community, connection and finding joy in the handmade have been hallmarks of design retailer Provider Store – a philosophy now extended to a new Sydney pop-up cafe and sublime Tassie holiday home.
Ten years ago, Tara Bennett founded Provider Store, an outlet for handpicked products made by traditional makers and craftspeople both here and in Japan. Connection to customer and maker is paramount for Bennett, who travels to Japan regularly on sourcing missions, hunting down treasures in antique markets and developing relationships with local artisans to bring unique pieces back to Australia. Each product sold by Provider Store is rigorously selected, meaning its owner can be assured of a bespoke touch. This dedication to the handmade stems from Provider Store’s origins: Bennett began by making products in her own home.
An antidote to traditional growth- and consumption-focused shopping, Provider Store prides itself on fostering connections and community with its makers and customers. Recently, it’s expanded beyond the walls of its Surry Hills retail space to allow its community to connect more deeply with the brand and its philosophy. Maido, a pop-up cafe in collaboration with Sydney coffee roaster Artificer, serves its coffee in Provider Store’s unfilled candle vessels and its cult favourite CHIPS mugs, a brand of drinkware made in Japan and designed for durability.
Maido also hosts workshops, offers candle refills and is stocked with a carefully curated range of Japanese-made homewares. Meanwhile, Provider House in Tasmania further immerses lovers of beautiful, sustainable objects in the brand experience. A calming holiday cabin situated in a lush valley 15 minutes outside of Hobart, its minimalist interiors evoke a deep sense of tranquillity, and it’s filled with pieces – from cutlery to bath salts and ceramics – that epitomise the Provider Store ethos, and which can also be bought.
While an array of stunning, unique objects is on offer at Provider Store, the brand’s signature product is its artisanal candles, housed in vessels hand made in Australia or Japan. The candles themselves are hand-poured and blended by Provider Store’s team members, and their scents evoke nature and specific places and spaces. Each vessel is designed to enjoy a second life as a tea or coffee cup, a miso bowl, planter or matcha mug. If that doesn’t appeal, customers can visit Provider Store or Maido for a candle refill. Provider Store’s holistic approach also sees the brand offer candle-making workshops, and customers can watch the team at work in its candle lab in Maido cafe.
Alongside candles, Provider Store’s shelves are stocked with products that are both beautiful and functional. Ceramics, incense, essential oils, artworks and other carefully selected pieces make everyday rituals special, and customers can select any product and know it’s been made with care. It’s an ethos that pulls through every element of the Provider triumvirate – from the thoughtfully considered coffee and workshops at Maido to the immersive experience of Provider House and the retail experience honed over a decade at Provider Store itself.
Architecture by TRIAS. Build by Drew Projects.
