It’s been more than two years in the making but Nevertire's newest business, The Rural Trader, finally threw open its doors this long weekend, beginning with an official opening on Friday night 30 September.

Situated in the former Mansours building opposite the Nevertire pub, this lifestyle and coffee/food store is the brainchild of Kat Montgomery, who’s married to local farmer Tod, and the opening follows months of hard work and planning - along with the odd curve ball.

On Sunday, sitting outside the store, Kat reflected on how a girl from the Hay Plains ended up opening a shop in Nevertire.

“After uni I worked in banking finance for CBA and then Westpac, and met Tod when I was living in Dubbo,” said Kat. “For five years I’d been making candles on the side, filling a creative void, but then I thought about building a space where I could not only sell the candles, but add other beautiful things, plus coffee and food.”

In June 2020, Kat bought the derelict building, which had been vacant for 70 years, but later that year the tiny town was hit by a freak storm that caused thousands of dollars in damage.

“It was pretty devastating, the storm removed half of the roof and completely destroyed the back of the building. It was such a setback, but I was so amazed by how my family and friends and the community of Nevertire pitched in to help with the cleanup and rebuild,” said Kat.

The following year Buy From the Bush and PayPal launched the inaugural Big Break, an online competition for regionally based start-ups to pitch an idea for a chance to win part of a $60,000 prize pool to help upscale or kickstart their business.

ABOVE: Warren Mayor Milton Quigley with Maree Glasson (Warren) and Georgia, Alex and Kate Barclay (Trangie) at the opening.

“It may be a mere seedling of an idea, a proof of concept or an existing bush business that needs a little boost to get to the next level,” said BFTB founder Grace Brennan at the time. “We are looking for creative ideas that have strong market potential and will deliver positive outcomes to local rural communities.”

Kat won the people’s choice award of $15,000 which helped fund the storm repairs and further develop the space.

“It was unbelievable, to have that support and so many people voting from me, I will always be grateful for that belief in my dream,” she said.

Months of work followed, with the rebuild and fit-out slowly taking shape under Kat’s guidance, and on Friday night that dream was finally realised as more than 200 people gathered to celebrate the opening.

Speaking on Sunday, Kat couldn’t contain her excitement.

“I’m hoping The Rural Trader will be good for Nevertire and surrounds. I want it to be used as a beautiful community space, where people can get together for events, buy something beautiful or just hang out for a coffee. We need that out here.”

ABOVE: Jody Ross (Nyngan), Lou Webb (Warren) Holly Robb (Nyngan).