Nestled in the heart of Narrabundah, a Christmas shop has turned its lights on for business, however there’s more than meets the eye behind the tinsel and baubles. 

Reindeer’s Retreat is a social enterprise that provides employment to domestic violence survivors as well as for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. 

“We’re not a charity by any means,” says owner Adele Bullock. 

“They earn every dollar, there’s no free passes here.

“We want this to be a safe space where [the employees] can engage safely, grow and learn safely.”

All funds raised go directly into the education, support, opportunities and experiences for vulnerable people. 

Walking into her weekend volunteer role at a Christmas shop five years before Reindeer’s Retreat, a “for sale” sign was the catalyst for Adele’s dream. 

“I’ve always loved Christmas and wanted to have a Christmas shop since I was a little girl,” she says. 

“I decided that I was in a position to try and make a difference, and I was able to do it with something that I love.”

Previously donating her earnings from the shop to women’s shelters every Christmas, creating a safe space for domestic violence victims and those living with disabilities seemed like the perfect step.

“I decided we could go one step further in helping people,” Adele says. 

“I thought we could give people a sense of fulfillment, achievement and value, and employ them in the shop while creating other opportunities for outside of the shop.”

Adele’s idea was quickly hatched, with her moving the shop to the Narrabundah shops. 

“I had been thinking about it for a number of years,” she says.

“But it became [the Christmas shop] in about the space of eight weeks.”

Wallpapering, flooring, decorating and setting up was done over the course of six weeks with help from Adele’s “elves” in addition to family and friends.

“Our elves now have higher hours working in the shop and they’re much more confident than when we first all got together,” says Adele. 

“We have people who have experienced some adversity, undue adversity.

“There isn’t one of my team that this shop could run without. They are absolutely critical to this place running.”

Adele employs seven elves and says she sat down with all of them before working to learn about their conditions and what they could do in the shop. 

“We chatted about what we could do to get them more confident and feeling good about themselves,” she says. 

Adele has the lease for three years, and says her elves and the shop aren’t going anywhere. 

“We want to contribute to the community,” she says.

“We’re not just a shop, we’re an experience and we want to be able to do something that hasn’t been available to Canberra before.”

After Christmas, Adele hopes to turn the space into a themed gift shop, catering to other holidays such as Valentines Day and Easter.

“We also want to do things that aren’t happening elsewhere in Canberra, such as doing Lego Masters,” she says.

Adele’s elves are instrumental in each decision that has been made about the shop, with many of them now implementing their own ideas, designs and suggestions. 

Adele says it’s important to let them test their confidence in the shop, with many now bringing their own wares to be sold.

Reindeer’s Retreat also offers Christmas craft workshops for anyone interested in making baubles, wreaths, bon bons and more.

Adele says her elves are true problem solvers, always bringing new and innovative thinking to the store. 

“Unfortunately, the day the shop opened, construction went up and no one could see us from the road,” says Adele.

“But true to my team, because they’re used to experiencing adversity more than the average person would, they went straight to work on the problem.

“We grabbed the tinsel and tinselled the construction site, that’s how we roll.

“Life throws things at you and we’re pretty good at making lemonade from lemons.”

Adele’s shop prides itself on inclusivity, often opening on request for silent hours or adjusting themselves to suit individual needs. 

“The work environment is very flexible,” Adele says. 

“It’s important that everyone feels welcome, regardless of if they’re working here, coming in or even walking past.”