Lillie Holcombe has created a treasure trove of artful homewares and exotic curios in a tin shed

It’s a little haven of creativity in Lillie’s otherwise busy life with husband Henry, 35, and their one-year-old son Eustie on their sheep farm, Rockybar, 50 kilometres away in northern NSW. Lillie grew up on a cattle station in Bowen, Queensland, but after a stint studying and working in Brisbane she didn’t picture herself ever leaving the city. Not that she’s complaining: “The space that comes with country life is truly special,” says Lillie. “Eustie has already ridden a horse, goes for daily motorbike rides with Dad and has driven a car — or so he’d have you believe. Those experiences aren’t possible in the city.

A return to rural life may not have been Lillie’s plan, but becoming a shopkeeper was always her vision. “I think I was born to be in retail: from my high school years I always pictured myself working in a shop, and dared to dream that I could be the owner,” she explains. The couple opened Harry and Kit — named for their pet dogs, a cocker spaniel and a kelpie — in late 2019. Today, its stock of many well-known Australian homewares and fashion brands, as well as regional makers such as Macintyre Brook Olive Oil and Jersey Candles, and rural artists such as Maisie Johnson and Melanie Obst, has gained the store a devoted local following. But now, with an online shopfront as well, Lillie is bringing the country to the world.

Harry and Kit, Bowen Lane, Goondiwindi, Queensland or shop online. 

To hear more extraordinary stories about women living in rural and regional Australia, listen to our podcast Life on the Land on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.