The Ultimate Guide to Collectives – From My Experience & Yours! ✨

If you’ve ever dipped your toes into the world of collectives, you know that it can be a bit of a mixed bag! Some are absolute gems 💎, while others... well, let’s just say they leave a little to be desired. Since I get asked about them all the time, I thought I’d put together a handy list to help my fellow Small Business Queens!

Before we dive in, a quick disclaimer: Everything in this guide is based on mypersonal experiences or those submitted by members of our Facebook group. These are purely opinions and not a reflection on any business or owner. Everyone’s experience may vary, so always do your own research before making a decision! 💖

I’ll start with my personal experiences and then share some insights from the amazing members of our Facebook group. So, if you're thinking about joining a collective, grab a coffee ☕, get comfy, and let’s dive in!


⭐️ The Good – Highly Recommended!

The Emporiums – Fountain Gate, Knox, Casey Central & More

If you’re looking for a solid collective, this one’s a winner! 🏆 While rent is on the higher side, Ihighly recommend them and recommend going for a full rack instead of a shelf so your stock really stands out. Ashlee, the owner, is amazing - always professional, friendly, and super efficient with payments and reports. The stores are clean and well-maintained, and honestly, I’d recommend any Emporium-run collective, including Eastland, Chirnside Park, Monbulk, etc! 💖

Love Always Collective – Ferntree Gully

This is a smaller, more intimate store, but it’s got agreat vibe! 🌿 The rent is super affordable, and the owner is a total gem. Payments are always on time, and if you want to cut down your rent, you even have the option to do in-store shifts. Such a great little community! 🥰

The Shop of Little Shops – Pakenham

This was my first ever collective, and Ihighly recommend it! 🌟 I've been here for seven months now, and everything runs like clockwork. Payments are always prompt, we get weekly photos of our setup in the Facebook group, and if restocking is needed, they let us know ASAP. Plus, it’s in aprime location - right opposite Sugar Buns! 🍩✨

Market Fair – Ferntree Gully

This one is one of my top-performing collectives, especially on weekends! 📈 Payments are made twice a month, and they’re great at promoting vendors with Instagram reels. Theonly downside is that they don’t tidy or maintain your shelves, so you’ll need to pop in and keep things looking fresh. But if you're after solid weekend sales, this is a great spot! 🎉

Hastings Emporium – Hastings

(Same owners as the upcoming Karingal Collective!) I've always donereally well here, though I know others have had mixed experiences. I think it really depends on what you sell and how you market your products. My usual top sellers don’t perform as well here, but I have a select few products thatfly off the shelves in this location. The owners, Emma and Neale, arefantastic and do a great job at limiting certain product categories to reduce in-store competition. If your products fit the demographic, this can be a goldmine! 💰


💡 Pop-Ups – Worth a Try!

Cheeki Treasures

This was one of myfirst pop-ups, and I LOVED it! 😍 At first, I dreaded the idea of doing shifts, but I actually enjoyed it so much that I volunteered for extra hours! It’s a great way to connect with customers, talk about your products, and hype up other businesses. Sales were strong, and the owners were super helpful, even doing Instagram Lives and ongoing marketing for us. I’lldefinitely be back for their future pop-ups! 💃


🤔 Try at Your Own Risk...

T&S Emporium – Somerville

I didn't personally do well here, but I have no complaints! I have heard mixed stories about how people have performed, some doing really well, I think its just very dependant on what you sell. Overall, it’s still worth considering.

Lollipop Collectives

I've had pleasant interactions with them, I found them to be quite friendly - but I’ve also heard not-so-great things. This was a 50/50 split in reviews. Overall, it’s still worth considering.

All Things Local – Eastland

I’ve heard this one can be pretty quiet, and stock can get a bit dusty. My experience with their communication wasn’t great—they ghosted me after three different attempts to sign up, and I never heard back. So, I’m neither here nor there on this one. 🤷‍♀️

Eco Soul Collective - Belgrave – Now Possibly Rebranded?

I had a really rough month here and ended up pulling my stock pretty quickly. That said, I’ve heard others have had success, so it might just depend on what you’re selling. The biggest issue for me was visibility - the store was so hard to spot from the main road, and the signage didn’t help. I just couldn’t see it getting much foot traffic. The owner, however, was lovely and did offer some solutions to make it work, but at the time, I needed my stock elsewhere and didn’t stick around to see if things improved. If you’re considering it, it might be worth checking out under its new name to see if anything has changed! 🤷‍♀️


🚨 The ‘Avoid at All Costs’ List

The Gypsies and Me

Where do I evenstart?! 😬 The owner is egotistical, communication is ahot mess, and their management skills arequestionable at best. Their sales reports were awful (I literally got adot graph and had toguestimate my sales 🤯), and their stock reports were wrong—twice! They alsoillegally charged GST to businesses that weren’t GST-registered. Oh, and did I mention they’ve had multiple break-ins? 🤦‍♀️ After tradinginsolvent and owing vendors over$42,000, theyfinally shut down. If they ever rebrand or reopen—run the other way. 🚨❌


💬 Member-Based Submissions

More Good Ones to Check Out!

  • Glasshouse and Co (QLD)

  • Kiss My Patootie (QLD)

  • T&S Emporium – Somerville

  • Leafy Lovers – Mount Eliza

Member Experiences

That Outlet Burpengary – Stocked here since August 2024, and it’s been a great experience! My sales havealmost always covered my rent, and I make a solid profit every fortnight. The owner is super friendly, and I get regular updates on my stock levels. Plus, every restock turns into a fun chat session! 😆

The Creative Collective Brisbane – I was here for six months, but I chose to leave in July 2024 as sales weren’t hitting my target. The customer base just wasn’t the right fit for my products. That said, the owner is absolutely lovely and really supportive, so it’s still worth considering for the right brand. 💕

Avoid: The Handmade Expo (QLD)

This name popped upa lot in the submissions. Multiple members mentioned poor experiences, with one person saying their two-month stint here wasso bad that it put them off collectives entirely. Safe to say, this one’s a pass. ❌

📝 Submitted Collectives List

  • Monbulk Emporium

  • T&S Emporium (Somerville)

  • Emporium 3630 (Shepparton)

  • The Kyabram Collective

  • The Olinda Collective

  • Finders Keepers (Ferntree Gully)

  • Hidden Marketplace (Belgrave)

  • Evelyn’s Place (Mt Evelyn)

  • The Little Eclectic Gift Shop (Sassafras)

  • Market Fair (Ferntree Gully)

  • Market 3196 (Chelsea Heights)

  • Far Fetched Designs (Seddon)

  • House of Handmade (Richmond)

  • Neck of the Woods (Belgrave)

  • Emporium on the Park (Chirnside)

  • Healesville Hotchpotch

  • Recycled Delightful (Northcote)

  • The Island Marketplace (Phillip Island)

  • Knox Emporium

  • Hastings Emporium

  • Leafy Lovers (Mt Eliza)

  • The Shop of Little Shops (Pakenham)

  • Love Always Collective (Ferntree Gully)

  • Merchants of Gippsland (Sale)


And there you have it! 🎉 If you’re thinking about joining a collective, I hope this guide helps you make the right choice. Every experience is different, so what works for me might not work for you—but at least you have a heads-up on where to look (and where to avoid!). Have you had an amazing (ornot-so-amazing) experience at a collective? Drop it in the comments! Let’s help each other out. 💕✨

1 Response

Andrew Lopez

Andrew Lopez

February 10, 2025

Highly recommend Pretty Little Made Things! Owner pays weekly without fail. Vendors can sometimes be tricky. Rent is reduced by $25 for every hour worked at collective but shifts not compulsory

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