"Always believe in magic."
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Ever since the day she could walk, Nicolle Reston has been a boho kind of girl, and it's a lifestyle she continues to embody.
As owner of Mudgee's Mixi Blu, Nicolle's personality is consistently reflected throughout the store which has quickly become a fashion hub of choice for her customers.
"I have lived boho my entire life, we had a VW and used to go away on surfing holidays as a kid. That shop is a reflection of my entire life," Nicolle said.
"I love our little boho sanctuary. I love the whole concept of what we've got going on, we're onto bigger and better things."
The shop's doors first opened 10 years ago on the Central Coast, before Nicolle and her family relocated to Mudgee five years ago.
In January of 2019, Mixi Blu had its first physical location in Mudgee but was met with challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, it wasn't all bad news with the closure ultimately resulting in the decision to upgrade the space.
"I had a bit of a health scare at the end of 2019 and decided no more stress, so my partner said we will open Mixi Blu here in Mudgee. It was the right thing to do," Nicolle said.
"Last January we opened and ten weeks later COVID hit. That was a good 48 hours of 'oh my lord, what am I going to do?' I'm not really up to speed with social media, our online presence is all Hannah [Adam]. I'm so old school it's not even funny.
"While COVID was happening and stores were closed, we were selling to my customers back on the Central Coast by Facebook and Instagram, posting things to them. I was at the post office every five minutes taking parcels over."
It was a challenging time, but for Nicolle, her mother's words of wisdom continued to ring true.
"My mum always used to say to us 'sometimes we need to fall before we fly'. You have to have faith in your business and yourself.
"When we opened back up, we actually grew and grew and grew as a business, but not our space. We were literally falling out the door, and every second customer would say we needed a bigger shop."
On February 5, 2021, after signing the lease last November, Mixi Blu are days away from opening their new location on Church Street; "I work fast, I don't sleep much."
"As soon as I walked in there, I knew it was right. The eclectic vibes of the space is perfect, this is home and where Mixi needs to be," Nicolle said.
"The bigger space means we're introducing more lines. We've found there is a niche that's missing in Mudgee. There's a group of people who lean towards the funky, edgy street look and there's nothing here like that.
"This shop now allows us to expand on those ranges. We will also be stocking swimmers, sunglasses, shoes and baby boho."
For those unaware, the naming of Mixi Blu is derived from a childhood memory that Nicolle shares with her daughter, Emily.
"Mixi Blu is a fairy. When my daughter was three she wouldn't go to bed so in the morning I would find her asleep with her brother. She was scared of the dark so if Mixi could go on these adventures in the dark then Emily wouldn't be so scared," Nicolle said.
"Mixi was blonde with blue eyes and so is my daughter, she was my daughter all along."
Mixi Blu are currently located at 4 Town Hall Arcade before their new spot opens towards the end of February at 98 Church Street.