It wasn’t long after Kristine Russo and her husband, Mic, moved to Seaford that she noticed there was something missing.
“I asked ‘Where is the Asian shop here?’ There wasn’t one. So I said to Mic, ‘I’m going to park my corporate career; I’m going to open an Asian shop’.”
Kristine and her family came to Australia from the Philippines 24 years ago. After completing school at Parramatta in Sydney, she embarked on a 14-year career as an auditor that included work with OneSteel in Whyalla (where she met Mic, a chemical engineer) and in Melbourne with Toll Holdings. When Japan Post bought Toll, her role was made redundant, and while she had never aspired to open a business, she decided there was a gap that needed to be filled and set about doing so.
Frankston Council invited her to apply for a Small Business Grant; she was unsuccessful, but the application conditions required her to have an existing lease and a business plan. So she now had a shop in Balmoral St and her plan, and the wheels were in motion.
She also met Wade, who was applying for a grant as well and who subsequently designed her simple but striking business logo. “I wanted the bamboo incorporated; not only is it abundant in Asia, it is very useful - it provides shade, it gives food, it’s used as a tool - but mostly because it is resilient, it perseveres through storms. That’s a quality I very much relate to.”
MicMacs – a blend of ‘Michael’ and her maiden name ‘Macmang’- has been trading in Frankston for 14 months, and although Kristine doesn’t pretend it’s been easy, it has at least been satisfying. And through Facebook, Google and word of mouth, her customer base is growing, no doubt in part by the convenience of not having to travel to Springvale or Dandenong for genuine Asian pastes and sauces, but also because of Kristine’s ebullient personality and genuine desire to help. She maintains a spreadsheet with at least 400 customer requests for products that she tenaciously tracks down, from vegan bacon to gluten-free dumplings.
“Being a small business owner comes with a lot of pressures and financial stress – maintaining our mental health is very important. I am very grateful for my family, friends and our customers’ great support. I never focus on how much money I can get from a transaction; rather, how can I meet our customers’ needs. I really love helping my customers. Their positive feedback had been most rewarding.
“A lot of my old colleagues in corporate ask, ‘How are you going?’ and I say, ‘I’ve never worked so hard’. For 14 months I have worked seven days a week with hardly any financial reward. However, I’ve never felt so happy, healthy and satisfied. Finally I’ve achieved the role I wanted, to be able to operate with integrity, engage with and assist people, and be real - just be myself.”