Hobart’s newest push to support local businesses is taking shape on the shelves of small retailers like Battery Point gift shop Habeo, as the Hello Hobart Gift Card rolls out across the city.
Owner Rhea Carr-Davies has been running the store for nearly five years and sees the initiative as a natural fit for a business built on unique, curated products and strong customer connections.
“I think it's a great initiative,” she said.
“You can see when you go to some of the big box stores, they have a similar kind of card that's available. And so, this is a way of doing it in much smaller local way and I think people will really get on board because it's a way of choosing a gift when you're not quite sure but you feel a little bit better if you know that they're going to spend local.”
The Hello Hobart Gift Card can be used at more than 60 participating businesses across the Hobart municipality, spanning retail, hospitality and local experiences. The goal is simple: keep more spending within the local economy while helping small businesses attract new customers.
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds and Habeo owner Rhea Carr-Davies at the launch of the Hello Hobart Gift Card.
At Habeo, Carr-Davies said local support was already a key part of the shop’s identity.
“I think people really love that they're supporting a small independent business. They enjoy the curated side of it,” she said.
“They're finding unique things that they wouldn't necessarily find otherwise.”
The store offers a mix of Tasmanian and Australian-designed goods, alongside international products, with a strong emphasis on the in-store experience.
“For us, the majority of our sales actually come in store. We really focus on that experience, and I think it's an opportunity for us to connect with our customers and get to know them and they come back again and again,” she said.
While cost-of-living pressures are being felt across retail, Carr-Davies said the impact wasn’t always straightforward.
“Cost of living, look, yes and no. I think sometimes when cost of living crisis happens, it means that maybe people aren't going overseas as much… but they still want to spoil themselves, so they buy a little something to treat themselves.”
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the program was designed to amplify exactly those kinds of local connections.
“We’re here to promote Hobart businesses and shopping in Hobart,” she said.
“It is an initiative that we are really encouraging people to be part of, to support local businesses.”
Cr Reynolds said the card makes it easier for people to choose local when buying gifts.
“If you have a gift to give someone why not give them a Hello Hobart Gift Card and then they can use this in 60 and growing local businesses to buy local products,” Cr Reynolds said.
She added the initiative was part of a broader effort to back small businesses during challenging retail conditions.
“We are always big cheerleaders for our local businesses. They are so important to our local economy… this is a way of promoting them and helping them to show their wares to the local community.”