HoMie co-founder Nick Pearce couldn’t be happier after the innovative social enterprise opened at Melbourne Central.
Since it opened three weeks ago, the organisation, co-founded by Marcus Crook, is redefining what it means to support people without homes by selling donated fashionable clothes.
“It’s been a really positive response from the customers – they seem to really enjoy it. The feeback’s been ‘It’s a great concept’,” Mr Pearce told The City Journal.
In terms of results, Pearce said the biggest success has come from HoMie’s two VIP days, when people without homes get free clothing and other vital material.
Mr Pearce told the story of one of those VIP days, when “about 50 Big Issue vendors” came through to get a helping hand.
“That was a really great day. Everyone received the five items of clothing, but just really good vibes all round,” he said.
“One of the guys remarked, ‘I never get to wear this kind of stuff’’. They walked a bit taller back onto the street.”
Earlier this week, Melbourne City Mission’s Frontyard Youth Services arrived at the store with around 20 young people, who received clothing as part of the visit.
Phil Buckley, Melbourne City Mission communications and public relations manager, said HoMie is “a fantastic service” and that Mr Pearce and Mr Crook are doing a great job.
The young people “were very pleased, very happy with the outcome”, Mr Buckley said, with “positive feedback all round – it seems to be coming together nicely”.
He said Melbourne City Mission would collaborate with HoMie to provide youth services – adding to the number of organisations partnering with and supporting HoMie.
Mr Pearce, who obtained a professional communication BA from RMIT last year, said the biggest business lesson he has learned has been to keep “positive relationships and consistent communication”.
Sometimes, he said, running HoMie is “organised chaos – I think it’s just that notion of teamwork and making sure you can delegate the right roles”.
The business relationship between the co-founders is going well, but Mr Pearce admitted the difficulty in switching off and maintaining private lives.
Even though Mr Pearce would not become “complacent” about the one-month anniversary, which occurs next Wednesday, he will toast the success of HoMie with a cold one.
Inside the HoMie store
