The northern Tasmania shop owner: ‘Don’t let the supermarkets get away with it’

Chantelle Campbell has just been interrupted by a customer. His British accent is out of place in Tasmania’s far north. He tells her he likes the shop’s new layout, but he’s worried about the colour of the back wall.She agrees, it’s already on her never-ending to-do list. Twelve months ago, Campbell, who is married with two boys, took a massive risk – and it paid off.She went from working three jobs to taking over a clothing store in Exeter, a town of about 600 people.For the customers – some of whom drive for hours to shop there – the store isn’t just about T-shirts and pullovers, it’s about community. They have a stake in it.The store sits in the electorate of Bass, where in 2022 the moderate Liberal Bridget Archer overcame the one-term curse to hold the seat with a 1% margin over Labor.Campbell says she isn’t overly political – she thinks they’re all a bit useless, and she hasn’t made up her mind who she will vote for. But that doesn’t mean she’s not passionate. She is concerned abo...