Our Story

About Us

Salt & Sand Clothing is a friendly, family-run boutique in the small coastal town of Inverloch, Victoria. We offer affordable, stylish & practical women’s clothing and accessories, carefully selected to slip seamlessly into your existing wardrobe.

We don’t believe in wearing things only once - we want you to love your Salt & Sand pieces, and wear them again and again, with joy. We value quality and versatility, and aim to provide an accessible and ever-changing range for both our local and visiting customers. Whether you’re at home, work, out for the weekend or celebrating, we want you to feel comfortable, beautiful and confident.

Proudly stocking all your favourites from Betty Basics, Country Road, CERES Life, Little Lies, SASS, Fate + Becker, Nude Lucy, Humidity Lifestyle, Staple the Label, AperoKeds & Louenhide, plus plenty more!

As the weather warms and the town swells in peak season, the shelves are bursting with new season fashion, the change rooms are in high rotation, and there’s a hum of activity through the store, spilling out onto the footpath outside, loaded with bikes, dogs, and happy holiday-makers. In contrast, things are cosy and warm through the wintery months, and a peaceful calm greets visitors exploring Bass Coast in the off season. 

friendly welcome from our close-knit team is always guaranteed, and our customers are known to spend many happy minutes chatting to whichever smiling face is behind the counter. Our strength in business is our small size - it’s us behind the counter, replying to your emails, liking your comments on our socials, packing your online orders, and giving you honest feedback in the change rooms.

We've met so many beautiful faces through our store, heard some incredible stories, and been there for every kind of life occasion. It is a pleasure and a privilege to get to know our customers, and the people who enter our bright little store are always the highlight of our day.

Our Story

Hello! My name is Alex and I am the proud owner of Salt & Sand.

After four years in Melbourne for uni, thinking hard about further study options, I embarked on my second ‘gap year’ and moved back home to Inverloch. I loved the sense of community in the town, and I really wanted to stay long term, but I had no idea how I was going to make that a feasible reality. Was there a job in our seaside town that I would love and be challenged by every day?

As it turned out, the perfect opportunity was waiting for me, I just didn’t know it yet. 

In August 2018, I started working for Kath, the previous owner of Salt and Sand. I was drawn to the job because I loved her energy and enthusiasm, and I felt that Kath would be a brilliant person to work for. My gut feeling was right, and she proved to be an incredible mentor from day one.

I’ve always had a strong passion for clothing and design, and I’d gained plenty of retail experience across the road at Paperplay Inverloch. The job seemed like a natural fit, and I loved it!

A couple of months later, my further study ambitions didn't quite go to plan, and then Kath came to me with an offer. The shop was for sale, and she wanted me to take it on. It was a big choice to make at 24, and I had many doubts and a lot of fear, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a pretty special opportunity, and one that I would regret if it slipped by.

And so, here we are, over 4 years later, and I couldn’t be more thrilled and proud that I took that leap. 

Sal has been by my side since day one, and it’s a running joke that if I ever sold the business, she’d have to go with it. Mum has a long history in retail so Salt & Sand made a lot of sense for her too, and offered the opportunity to engage in her favourite activity every day - a good chat. Doesn’t matter who with, where or why, Sal has a knack for drawing out the best stories and making any person feel at ease.

She has been an integral cog in this big shop machine, and I know I wouldn’t have embarked or continued on this journey without her.

Salt & Sand has delivered any and every kind of challenge so far, and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt from life in small business it’s that there is never a normal year! We have navigated pandemic trading, opened our online store, added new staff members to the Salt & Sand family, found new brands to love, and hopefully brightened the lives of our customers just a little. 

The best part of this job is the people, and the most fulfilling days in store are those when I’ve been able to call most customers by name. We’ve been able to collaborate with other small business owners, we’ve met and come to love some beautiful reps over the years, and we’ve had a brilliant support team of family and friends around us from day one. 

I made myself a promise to stick at this for 5 years. 

That number’s up in April 2024

Right now? I feel like we’re only just getting started!

Practical Stuff

Come and visit us in person!

Our bricks-and-mortar store is open during Winter:

Monday - Friday 10am - 4.30pm,

Saturday 10am - 4pm,

and Sunday 10am - 2pm

CLOSED ON TUESDAY

3a A'Beckett Street, Inverloch, VIC 3996

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Salt & Sand Clothing acknowledges the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we operate. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.