Boyanup’s “Gingerbread House” a sweet deal

If you’ve ever fancied living in your very own gingerbread house, a la the Brothers Grimm classic fairytale Hansel and Gretel, you’re in luck.

Just two hours south of Perth, is a sweet little residence literally laden with lollies and baked treats, with plenty of scope for parties, imagination and fun.

Julie Shadbolt and her partner Jim Earley purchased the property at 10 South Western Highway, Boyanup five years ago, renovating the rundown 1920s weatherboard cottage into an iconic business and residence now sought out by south-west locals and visitors to the tourist region.

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“Everyone has a dream of opening up a lolly shop so we just decided to take a shot and give it a go,” Shadbolt says.

“Lollies are always everyone’s favourite, aren’t they? Being a chocoholic it’s really bad being here and Jim, my partner, is a diabetic, so that doesn’t help either,” she laughs.

The premises offer a fully licensed commercial kitchen. Pic: Supplied.

Set on a 1603sqm lot, the property incorporates the Gingerbread House business as well as the couple’s private home.

Shadbolt says she led the interior design revamp to include a carnival inspired party room, a play room for children and a separate sitting room for adults seeking some solitude over a cuppa. There is also a rainbow room, with stocks of colour coded bulk lollies, and a children’s playground outside.

“It was so much fun to put together,” she says. “I keep changing my mind. I have all these wonderful, silly ideas and poor Jim just rolls his eyes and agrees with me.

“When you have a gingerbread house you can just let loose – there’s no rules.”

The couple traded careers in mining during the mining downturn to move down south to open the confectionary business and café. Jim turned his time to baking and now supplies his baked goods to Optus Stadium for corporate functions, among other clients.

“Jim has gone from working as a machinist to being a full-time baker, which is a big change,” Shadbolt says.

“The Gingerbread House is a lolly shop-café. When we first started we were outsourcing the cakes and then we decided to give it a shot ourselves and it’s gone crazy from there. We now supply other companies and cafes with our products, which is great.

“We set up a warehouse in Perth at Cockburn Central and it has a shopfront as well, so we’ve been quite busy with both shops. We spend a lot of time on the road and it gets a bit tiring having two shops 200km apart, so we’ve made a call and because we have grandkids in Perth, Perth wins.”

The property is being marketed by Peter Hayes, from Elders Southern Districts Estate Agency, who is taking expressions of interest in the sale.