About Andy and This Is Not A Shop
“As a little boy, I read Vogue. It was not the typical thing for a boy from the Shire to do, but I guess I wasn’t a typical boy. My older brother, Billy, and I both adored glamour, and pouring over glossy magazines, and being transported to chic international places and exotic worlds. We would talk long into the night about how when we grew up we wanted to invent a store to offer all the things we saw and loved, and to design the most beautiful space to do it in. Now, 25 years on, after a wonderful career in floristry, and having travelled extensively, I have returned to my roots to create This Is Not A Shop.”
Favourite part about owning his own business:
“My favourite part of owning my own business is the independence and freedom it provides me to be creative and self determining.”
No.1 business tip:
“My top business tip would have to be – follow your heart, listen to your head, but most importantly, trust your gut.”
“This Is Not A Shop is not just a store, it is an experience: a celebration of life, love, beauty and the making of magical memories. Our vision is to create a fun, friendly, luxurious and lush, dreamy and distinctive experience for our customers, taking them on a voyage to somewhere else.”
— Andy Gray, This Is Not A Shop
“I would strongly recommend SYM as they allow me to focus on my business and, importantly, look after my customers. SYM gives me the peace of mind that my bookkeeping is being cared for, is streamlined and my GST obligations are being adhered to.”
Andy Gray
This Is Not A Shop, Cronulla
Challenges before engaging the SYM Dream Team
“My challenges were never having enough time or headspace to think about bookkeeping and the absolute necessity to keep on top of it.”