Lismore has gained two new businesses in the last two weeks: Lark Collective on Woodlark Street and Angel@hand in the Warina Walk Arcade off Molesworth Street.

The Lark Collective is in the old Southern Cross Credit Union building, selling gifts and homewares, while Angel@hand offers clothing alterations & repairs, as well as art & craft.

Mark Russell is one of the smart Victorians who ended up in the Northern Rivers after a short stint in Brisbane twelve months ago.

Mark is a qualified chef and has been plying his trade for about 35 years. He worked for Qantas after his move to Brisbane, before the pandemic, and spent a short time at a Byron Bay restaurant.

What has that got to do with clothing alterations and repairs?

"I used to have a very successful business back home in Victoria, and after speaking to various people about alterations, they said there was nobody who does it here, so I thought, why not give it a go?"

Mark started looking around for buildings to rent, and thought there would be some cheap options because there are still so many vacant in the CBD.

"They were all too expensive considering that there's so many shops empty. It's just so hard. I said to some of the estate agents, considering the number of shops empty, you know, they're asking $800 a week plus GST, and some of them are $400 plus all that sort of stuff. So I thought, I'm not prepared to pay that much until the business takes off. I don't want to be getting myself into any debt or anything of that sort."

Mark found an appropriate rent in the Marina Walk Arcade at Shop 6/158 Molesworth Street. You will find him at the end of the arcade.

As Mark says, "I do everything" when it comes to clothing and alterations.

"People usually want something shortened, like trousers, shirts reshaped, skirts and tops, the whole works.

"I've done formal dresses, I've done wedding dresses, I used to dress the drag queens in Melbourne.

"People say I'm too short, so I need my trousers hemmed, or I need a dress reshaped, or I need a skirt redone, or I need, I've got a formal coming up, and I've got this address, but it doesn't fit properly.

"Then there's a lot of people who buy stuff online, and then realise when it comes in, it's either too small or it's too big, it's not what the picture was like."

Mark is also pretty handy at creating arts and crafts.

(Mark Russell standing in front of his arts and crafts section of Angel@hand in the Warina Walk Arcade)

"Mostly, everything you see here is all handmade by me. The crochet items are all done by me, bags, and cushion covers, which I'm working on at the moment, as I've got a few orders to do. I do fabric sculptures and crocheting."

Angel@hand is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm and Sunday by appointment.

You can call him on 0433 831 221, email mrussell827@hotmail.com, or pop in and see him at the end of the Warina Walk Arcade off Molesworth Street.

With Christmas not far away, you may need some alterations or repairs.