Cape Woolamai Mercantile Co.®
(pronounced: Wool-am-I)
Our story begins with a Father (Tom) & Son (David) sitting around the dining room table. Kicking around ideas for David’s next business venture. David felt he had peaked in his current business, and it was time to pursue something new. Something different. Maybe something involving the Internet.
As the duo tossed ideas back and forth, a picture began to come into focus:
A retail business, with an emphasis on unique, boutique quality, amazingly functional goods, not found on every street corner, backed with the type of customer service which has become all too rare.
But, where do you find products worthy of that vision?
That’s when Tom pointed at the Didgeridoonas Wooly Wine Cooler which was sitting on the table and said “This is a good example of what we’re talking about.” The wool insulated, ice- free Wine Cooler Bag was received as a gift 5 years earlier, from dear Friends upon their return home from Australia.
Sparked by the thought, David began doing some research. Didgeridoonas itself was a Family- Owned Australian business, featuring a broad collection of naturally insulated ice-Free Coolers and rugged travel accessories. The pair reached out.
When the Founding Family of Didgeridoonas learned that a 12-year-old boy in Virginia wanted to sell their products in America, their response was immediate …
“We’re in. What do you want to do?”
That is how David Phillips began selling Didgeridoonas Ice-Free Coolers off that same dining room table under the name Southpaw Express. The year was 2005.
Southpaw Express started as a hobby business David worked when he was not in school or on a Baseball Diamond. Selling Didgeridoonas Ice-Free Coolers from table-top displays at local Wine & Gift shops, the Teacher’s Lounge at School, and to Friends and neighbors off the dining room table.
Then came 2006.
In February, the Southpaw Family represented Didgeridoonas at the New York Gift Fair where David wrote orders from such prestigious organizations as the King Ranch and the Hotel Otesaga in Cooperstown, NY.
In September, Southpaw Express was invited to display Didgeridoonas products at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World. The response was overwhelming. Customers were captivated by products they had never seen before — practical, rugged, beautifully crafted, and infused with unmistakable Australian character.
While David completed High School, the business primarily focused on supporting a select network of Retail Outlets, and doing direct sales in the local community.
As Graduation approached, David came to his Parents and stated he wanted to continue working the business while he was in College, because he thought he wanted to go into the business full-time upon graduation. David, Tom, and Donna (Mom), began laying the foundation for transforming the “hobby” business into a “real” business.
The business continued to grow. Along the way, we learned that Australia has a wealth of Family-Owned businesses, making World-Class products, that most Americans will never have an opportunity to experience. As a Family Business ourselves, the Aussie Families we met began entrusting us to represent them properly here in the US.
Two weeks after College Graduation David was on a plane to Melbourne Australia, where he had been invited to play for a local Baseball Club (Monty Baseball); and giving him the opportunity to scout for more great Aussie gear.
It was on this trip that David concluded the business needed a moniker more befitting the mission, and the great Australian gear we bring home to America.
Cape Woolamai is a small village on the southeastern tip of Phillip Island, along the Bass Strait, in South Victoria (AUS). By this time, our collection included Didgeridoonas — Wool Insulated — Ice-Free Coolers, Humphrey Law’s fine Merino Wool Health Socks, and St Albans natural fiber throws. It was only natural that the Phillips Family would rename the business for our inspirational home … Cape Woolamai Mercantile Co.®
20+ years down the road, Cape Woolamai Mercantile Co.® specializes in bringing unique, boutique, apparel and lifestyle accessories, created by Family-Owned Australian businesses, through our Family-Owned & Operated Cape Woolamai Outposts, to Families across America.
Our commitment: Bringing the best of Australia home to you, with the passion, service, and support that you only find in Family business. Because you deserve to:
Experience a Slice of the No Worries Life.
A Note: The artwork at the top of the page is created in the style used by Aboriginal Australian artists when painting pictures of the “Dreamtime”. The “Dreaming” is the story of the creation of the World, the ancestors who shaped it, stories for mapping and navigating it, as well as the laws governing Life and society. It is with respect for this great culture and tradition that we share the image above to introduce Our Story.