By SARAH MATTHEWS

Julie Finch fell in love with the magic of puppetry at eight years of age and has spent much of her life inspiring people to embrace imaginative play.

Miss Finch grew up in the Adelaide Hills and made puppets as a hobby while forging a career in the tourism industry. 

Fifteen years ago, she made the leap from passion to business, starting Hahndorf Puppet Shop in the popular South Australian tourist village.

Miss Finch was looking for a place to retire and through connections with friends, discovered Kaniva.

“Eight years ago, I bought a cottage here because I loved it so much,” she said.

“I love being part of a rural community, with open spaces and clear, fresh skies.

“After I moved here four years ago, I figured I might as well buy a vacant shopfront and turn it into a puppet shop.

“I bought the old newsagency, which has been a great building to adapt.”

Miss Finch said despite plans to ‘retire’ she never really considered giving up her passion for puppets.

“I live on my own, but I’ve always needed people around me,” she said.

“I love making puppets come to life. I always knew I wanted to do something with puppetry and I didn’t want to give that up.”

Kaniva Puppet Shop features ‘every type of puppet you can think of’, along with a small theatre, where Miss Finch puts on shows for school and aged-care groups.

She also teaches children how to put on their own shows.

“I love seeing kids with puppets, in particular,” Miss Finch said.

“As soon as a puppet goes on someone’s hand, that person becomes a completely different character.

“I think it’s fascinating to see how the puppet comes to life. 

“I just really enjoy imaginative play.”

Miss Finch said the Kaniva district community had been extremely supportive of her venture.

“They’ve backed me all the way along,” she said.

“I get thank-yous all the time for having my business in the street.”

Miss Finch said despite the support, she knew she could not rely on the community for survival.

“I knew the locals wouldn’t be able to support a niche shop like mine so I knew I would be relying on passing trade,” she said.

“With my tourism background I knew that eventually, the tourists would come. That coaches would stop. And they did.”

Kaniva’s main thoroughfare is on the Western Highway, the high-traffic route between Melbourne and Adelaide.

With the South Australian border closed and travel restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, times are tough for businesses relying on the tourist dollar.

“Apart from the essential services, all the shops here in Kaniva rely on tourism,” Miss Finch said.

“When I closed the shop at the end of March, I didn’t think I would sell much at all. I had an online shop but I didn’t really expect people to be buying puppets during this time.”

Puzzles popular

To Miss Finch’s surprise, the second side of her business took off.

“When I opened the shop in Hahndorf, I knew I needed two strings to my bow, in case people who came in weren’t interested in puppets,” she said.

“So I sold German Ravensberger puzzles, which are the best puzzles. 

“I have them in my Kaniva shop, too. And with people staying home because of the lockdown, I started to sell puzzles.

“Puzzles are a great thing, especially for families to do together.

“Each day I would come to the shop and package them up and post them off. I also had calls from tourists who had come into my shop previously, while passing through Kaniva, calling me to buy puzzles over the phone. 

“I was one of the lucky ones during this time.”

Miss Finch said although puzzle sales had started to subside, she took positives from state governments starting to lift lockdown restrictions.

She said she decided to reopen the store sporadically this week and would return to regular hours – 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday – from next week.

Miss Finch will also run the first of several workshops today.

“I knew I wouldn’t be that busy this week and I won’t be until the borders open again, so I thought it was a good time to run some workshops,” she said.

“I usually do a Christmas wreath one, but this time I’m doing an Australian wreath that can be hung year-round.

“I’ve already had 14 inquiries and I have two other workshops lined up. It’s great to have so much support. 

“It’s a very niche shop. I don’t know of any other shop in Australia that sells what I sell. 

“I love it here and I don’t want to do anything else now.”

People can call Kaniva Puppet Shop on 0412 681 929 or message Kaniva Puppet Shop on Facebook for more information about the store, including workshops. 

The entire May 27, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire May 27, 2020 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!