Enterprise: Choo-Choo Designs
What this young gun is up to: Honouring her heritage through an ever-growing range of products that feature contemporary Indigenous designs from artists around Australia.
Kira Turner launched Choo-Choo Designs out of necessity, stymied by the lack of employment opportunities in her hometown of Lismore after COVID-19 and the 2022 floods. “Many businesses were forced to close and I found it difficult to find part-time work, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and open my own business,” Kira explains.
Kira launched Choo-Choo in July 2022 at a NAIDOC week celebration in Beenleigh, south of Brisbane. Inspired by her Dunghatti heritage, Kira creates accessories such as handbags, coin pouches, tote bags, earrings and hair accessories featuring First Nation prints and contemporary Indigenous designs from artists around Australia.
“I am about to launch my clothing range, which I am very excited about.”
Registering and insuring the business, creating the website, buying the textile resources and booking market stalls all cost money that Kira didn’t initially have. However, she was able to get over this hurdle by borrowing the money from her supportive family. “Another challenge that we had to face was the transport aspect of the business,” Kira says. “As I was only 15 when we opened, I had no driver’s licence, which created a problem considering the majority of our sales at the time came from the market stalls. Products needed to be transported to each market site, along with the marquee and tables. But thankfully, once again, my family was there for the 5am wake up calls to help with transport and set up.”
Now in Year 12, studying for her HSC, Kira’s goal is to go to college in 2025 to get a degree in design. “My study takes up many hours, meaning I am unable to put as much time into my business as I would like,” she laments. “I have had to develop my organisational and time-management skills and I am very grateful for the support of my family, friends and teachers when I have asked for it.”
Kira’s heritage is intrinsic to what she does in the business. “As a Dunghatti Woman, I am proud and honoured to celebrate my culture through my business. I am able to do this by sharing the artwork of First Nation artists featured in the materials that my products are made of. I also try to be involved in as many cultural events as I can, such as the Kinship Festival in Murwillumbah, Art on Bundjalung Market, GAATHA Markets on the Sunshine Coast and NAIDOC celebrations. Although I am a Dunghatti woman, I live, work and learn on Widjabal Wiabal country and feel honoured to be a part of community events, especially those that have a strong cultural focus.”
Kira started out selling just six products in 2022, and she has continuously expanded her range and her product count is now 26. “Choo-Choo now provides accessories for the office and school, such as laptop bags, journal covers and lanyards,” she says. “We have a range of beaded and woven earrings, hair accessories and are expanding our home décor range, and I am about to launch my clothing range, which I am very excited about.”
Kira’s efforts have gained her recognition at the Teens in Business awards. She was a finalist for the Young Indigenous Entrepreneur of the Year in 2022 and the winner of the award in 2023. She was also a finalist in the Young Rural and Regional Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023. Closer to home, Kira has sponsored local sports club Phoenix Netball for the last two years, and says she was truly honoured to work with local Aboriginal artists, including Aunty Val Smith and Tywana Caldwell, to create netball patches for the club for the Lismore Netball Indigenous round.
This article first appeared in issue 44 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine
