If you’ve strolled down Carrington Street in the last week or so, you will have most certainly noticed the bright and intriguing shop which now inhabits the space which was home to the beloved Caddies for so many years.

Laklak is a unique business where fashion, art and ambience meet, thoughtfully curated by owner Kirsten Rowan.

Kirsten has transformed the space to accommodate a Japanese notion of calm whilst maintaining the internal structure of stairs and mezzanine so familiar to local coffee fans in the shop’s previous incarnation. You may even be offered a cup of freshly brewed green tea when you visit.

Whilst the word laklak is derived from Arabic, the language of Kirsten’s partner and family who hail from Morocco, the products and concept for the shop come from Kirsten’s long love affair with Japanese language and culture.

Kirsten told the Lismore App how her initial connection to Korean and Japanese culture was through teaching.

“I went to Korea initially, to work as an English teacher. I loved Korea. I was drawn to Korea because it’s not a culture that we know very much about and it's not a tourist destination – but now, 25 years later – it’s like a secret, special place. Then I went to work in Japan and found that I love the aesthetic and I love the way things are. So, that’s what I have been building,” Kirsten explained.

Since the pandemic closure of Laklak, which operated for five years in the Star Court Arcade, Kirsten has added another set of skills to her collection and trained as an Art Therapist. She is now offering art classes within the Laklak space which has an upstairs studio.

“I’m building a curriculum that is about taming anxiety, slowing the brain, being comfortable. I know how crippling anxiety can be, how isolating depression can be. It’s about being comfortable to do things for yourself and compliment with other therapies,” she said.

“The classes are not about proficiency in any medium, it’s about wanting to explore different skills and acknowledging they can help with your moods. It’s a lot of colour. The first class is called Flow and it’s using Japanese sumi ink. They’re really long drawings so the sessions are all about moving through that,” Kirsten added.

Lismore has been home to Kirsten and her family for many years, Kirsten studied her arts degree at SCU and later taught Japanese at Kadina High School.

“Lismore has always been such an energy, a beautiful, interesting community that I don’t think exists in other places. There are a lot of different people, everyone is accepting of each other. There is a real strength here,” Kirsten said.

“We’re lucky, we’re so unpretentious. We’ve got pockets of incredible creativity. I taught Japanese at Kadina for seven years, there’s a lot of people I know and a lot of connections. I love watching them bring their kids in and have conversations with them,” she added.

The deep influence and understanding of Japan’s culture has led Kirsten to what she has established today in downtown Lismore.

“There is a Japanese saying that I’ve been drawn to, oubaitori – basically it means don’t compare yourself to others, travel as you are, build yourself and who you are at your own pace.”

“This Laklak is about slowness, enabling people to come and take a moment somewhere that’s cool and relaxing, calming, have a look at some beautiful things. I still continue to support women’s businesses. At the moment, I’ve got about 10 women’s businesses represented here. If it’s not Japanese inspired or vintage Japanese items I’ve sourced myself, it’s other women’s businesses from Australia and Korea,” Kirsten explained.

Laklak is open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 1am. You will find Laklak next to Cafe Cappello.