Balaboosta Is a New Online Homewares Store Dedicated to Handmade Pieces by Female and Non-Binary Artists

Big and bold, classy and witty. That’s how ex-Melburnian Sophie Zilberman translates “balaboosta” – a Yiddish term best defined as a matriarch who holds her family together with a mixture of love and discipline. It’s also how she describes her new venture of the same name – an online homewares store stocking pieces predominantly handmade by female and non-binary artists.

“I like the sound of the word, it packed a punch,” Zilberman tells Broadsheet. “And I just love the meaning behind it, it feels very matriarchal and powerful and it comes from my culture.”

Zilberman was one half of the duo behind Didi and Dora, a vintage homewares shop she launched with her longtime friend Cara Slade; the shop was named after the pair’s respective bubbes (Yiddish for grandmothers). Now with two new businesses under her belt – Balaboosta and marketing and graphic design site The Computer Lady – Zilberman has taken a step back from Didi and Dora and let Slade take the reins.

After soft launching on Instagram last year, Balaboosta’s website is now live with a selection of distinctive and hard-to-find items curated by Zilberman. Sourced both locally and from across the globe, you’ll find vibrant handmade pieces such as Millefiori Murano tumblers and striped Murano vases, brass spice mills from Türkiye and sandstone ceramic Amphora vases from France.

As well as focusing on pieces by female and non-binary artists, Zilberman is also spotlighting lesser-known creatives from marginalised communities. Zilberman, who moved to Darwin earlier this year, is currently in the process of sourcing work by Indigenous artists from the Northern Territory, including wood carvings, paintings and ceramics. She’ll soon add works from local Darwin artists, too, including handmade and embroidered tablecloths and napkins.

“I’m inspired by beautiful colours and shapes and things that feel handmade,” says Zilberman. “No two pieces are the same and it’s made by someone with love.”

Order online and pick up on the same day from Balaboosta’s Hawthorn East warehouse. Gift cards are also available, ranging from $50 to $600.

shopbalaboosta.com
@balaboosta_