It's Our 10th Birthday!

Wow. Ten years. Who would’ve thought?

This little business began as an idea around my kitchen table fuelled by snacks, laughter, and two beautiful friends who believed in me enough to say, “Go on, give it a crack!” At the time, I had three young, neurodivergent kids and absolutely zero flexibility to work in standard employment. You know, the kind that expects you to show up on time, dressed properly, and not be covered in someone else’s slime or snot.

I was having a hard time finding decent sensory stuff for my boys, things that actually helped, not just looked good on Pinterest. And somehow, from that tiny spark, Sensory Oasis for Kids was born. Fun fact – our name was made up from my three boy’s initials – Sebastian, Oliver and Kobe!

I started with a tiny amount of scrimped-and-saved cash and a whole lot of hope. Marty and I are handy with computers, so we built our own website to keep costs down. We launched with a mighty catalogue of… nine products. And then, little by little, it grew. First the hallway was overrun, then we booted everything out to the garage.

After about a year, I was given the amazing opportunity to rent a tiny room in a local clinic, right alongside some fabulous OTs, speechies and psychs. I was buzzing. Finally, people could come in, bring their kids, and actually try the stuff before they bought it. I ran the shop during school hours and packed orders at night once the kids were asleep - fuelled by caffeine and chaos, like all good mums.

I adored that little space, but demand exploded. It turns out that families needed this just as much as we did. We quickly outgrew the room, so when the opportunity came to move into a huge warehouse in Altona North, I signed the lease with equal parts excitement and terror.

Marty, his dad, and I worked our butts off to transform it. We built a space that wasn’t just a shop - it was a sanctuary. There was a massive fish tank (a.k.a. “The Babysitter”), a calming teepee for overwhelmed kiddos, and soft armchairs for exhausted parents who just needed five minutes of peace. It was magic.

It wasn’t long before we outgrew the space again so we closed for a big remodel and expanded the shop to fit in all the sensory goodness. It looked amazing, and I was so ready to show it off.

Then COVID hit. And just like that - no one could come in. After all the work, all the love, all the excitement, it was gone in a blink. The next couple of years were a wild ride of lockdowns, masks, sanitisers, and trying to run a business with one hand while home-schooling with the other.

We made it through. But then came the economic downturn: interest rates soaring, cost of living through the roof. We cut every cost we could to stay afloat. And then – bam - in October 2025, the NDIS made changes that slashed our funding-eligible sales by half. Literally overnight.

Online orders dried up. Our store was quiet. Too quiet. People simply didn’t have the spare money, and I totally understood. But as the bills stacked up and rent slipped three months behind, I had to make the hardest call: we had to close our beloved shop.

Saturday 21st of December was our final day. I cried. A lot. Probably a hundred times. But I was also so humbled and grateful. The love, support, and hugs from our beautiful community in that last week filled my heart to bursting.

You made me feel seen. You reminded me that what we created mattered.

It’s been six months since we closed the store and moved everything back to online. Honestly? It’s been rough. I miss the chats, the little faces lighting up in-store, and the parents who knew they didn’t need to explain anything to me in our safe space.

Living with a garage full of stock (and a house that looks like a fidget toy exploded) is not the dream, but we’re making it work. Because I’m not giving up.

I’m rebuilding Sensory Oasis for Kids one order, one post, one moment at a time. My dream is still alive, and one day I will reopen. Even bigger. Even better. Even more beautiful.

They say most small businesses don’t make it to five years.

Well guess what? I doubled that. And I plan to double it again and be writing my 20th birthday post in another ten years (probably crying happy tears and still losing tape dispensers daily).

Thank You ?

From the bottom of my very messy, very grateful heart - thank you. Whether you visited the store, placed an order, liked a post, or sent a kind message, you’ve been part of this journey. Through the ups, the meltdowns, the triumphs, the tears - you’ve been there.

Here’s to the next ten years.
With love, fidgets, and fun,
Jody xx