Thirty Bendigo businesses have banded together to find themselves a stable home, from which to sell their locally made produce.
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Retail collective Plumes Emporium officially opened at 284-288 High Street, Golden Square, on Saturday.
The enterprise has cut the businesses' overheads, meant they can share the load of sales and given customers the chance to shop seven days a week.
Communications representative for Plumes Emporium Julia Birch said she didn't think there was anything else like it in Bendigo.
Plumes has everything from handmade clothes, to jewellery, vintage, secondhand books and discounted lollies.
"This is a great thing for people to have that they can come to seven days a week that's undercover here," Ms Birch said.
"There's an advantage for the customer, but also for us as small businesses."
A committee of eight stallholders staff the cash register and take care of the finances. Others pay a fee and a small commission to be part of the project.
Stallholder Fiona Macdonald donates all of the profits from her homemade preserves, jams and chutneys to the Cancer Council.
Since her mother died five years ago Ms Macdonald has raised $105,000 for cancer research.
It began when her father's sister walked non-stop for 24 hours as part of Relay For Life. Ms Macdonald thought if her dad's sister could raise funds, so could she.
She made a few things for an upcoming Australia's Biggest Morning Tea, and that's when her brand, Preserves by the House of Fi, began.
Each preserve was hand made in a small batch, using "real ingredients", Ms Macdonald said.
Some of her earliest memories were cooking with her Mum and Grandmother. Making jams and preserves has been a way to keep her mother with her.
"Mum had terminal cancer, we knew it was terminal when she was diagnosed. From going through the journey, I just wanted to give back," Ms Macdonald said.
"Mum said she'd haunt me, and she's doing it in a beautiful way."
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The stalls at Plumes inhabit what was once a garage dating from the 1940s or 50s, with an Art Deco facade.
An old map of Victoria painted on the front wall is heritage listed, mistakes and all.
Ms Birch said the building was in a great spot for the business: on a thoroughfare and part a little group of shops which includes a bakery, bank and newsagent.
People have been so interested by the set up process that Ms Birch has seen passing cars pull a u-turn to stop and look inside.
"People were so intrigued when we were setting up, because it's had so many lives," Ms Birch said.
The committee has been careful to respect the building's history while preparing it for a new life.
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