Business
23 April, 2025
Lolly shop owner wants to revitalise Mount Isa suburb
Jo Knell has taken on the big task of breathing life back into a Sunset shopping precinct.
Business owner Jo Knell is trying to breathe new life into some of Mount Isa’s vacant commercial spaces.
After she was made redundant from the laundry at Mount Isa Mines during the COVID-19 pandemic, the qualified hairdresser decided to take advantage of the stimulus measures on offer and withdrew $10,000 from her superannuation to set up her own hair salon.
In search of cheaper rent, Jo settled on setting up at the former JR Supermarket building at Sunset.
Her salon would remain the only working store in the otherwise empty complex for years to come.
Jo said she became very passionate about “saving” the entire building and soon found herself trying to convince her hair clients to put their own shops in the complex.
“I am probably the only business owner who felt sorry for my landlord,” she laughs.
“I was trying to come up with ideas for my clients about shops they could set up next to mine.
“But no one was very interested.
“So I decided if no one else is going to put a shop here, then I will do something.”
Jo negotiated a lease on the retail space next to the salon and ran through a list of potential businesses.
She settled on a confectionery store and Lollies and More opened its doors in July last year.
“I didn’t really know anything about lollies, so it’s really been a lot of research,” she told North West Weekly.
“But I always thought that if the shop doesn’t work out and it goes broke, then at least I’ll have a whole lot of lollies left over for my kids.”
Jo and a friend painted the walls bright colours and she bought shelving from Kmart and Bunnings and a display fridge/freezer unit from another closing store.
She now orders unique lollies from all over the world with names like UK Kisses, Darwin Plumbs, Sour Feijoas and Fizzy UFOs scattered among the more than 70 different varieties on the shelves.
The shop also provides one of the only local options to purchase soft drink and basic food options for those living in Pioneer.
Jo employs two casuals to maintain the shop while she works in the salon.
She said she still gets frequent customers who are driving past and notice her open signs by the roadside in the quiet corner of the town.
Jo said she even weeds the gardens in front of the shop in an effort to keep the area presentable.
She said she believed it was important to try to find new ways to keep the commercial spaces in the city operating.
“I had been a hairdresser for most of my working life but I had never run my own business before,” she said.
“And now we set up this other shop as well next to it.
“I didn’t know anything about business when I started but I’ve made it work.
“I just hope others will have a go as well so we can fill up some of the empty shops around town.
“It’s a good thing for everyone in the city.”
