For owner Joy Jeffrey, it marks the end of a 36-year journey that wove together fabric, friendships and community, turning her little shop into a cornerstone of the town’s story.
Joy opened her first shop in 1989, opposite the post office, after the closure of Ali Jo Fabric and Fashion in Mulwala, where she had been manufacturing larger-figure clothing.
When it came time to name her new venture, her truck-driving son jokingly suggested Material Girls, inspired by Madonna’s chart-topping hit.
“I immediately said no,” Joy laughed.
“But I warmed to it and it’s been a talking point ever since.”
In 2002, after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, Joy moved the business to its current Belmore Street location with encouragement from local businessman Jim Judd.
“It was 763 steps from the old shop to the new,” she recalled.
“We carried everything down the footpath.”
From that point, Material Girls became far more than a fabric store.
Joy built a welcoming hub where patchwork classes, craft groups, and the popular Midnight Madness sessions, where women sewed from 6:30pm until after midnight, fostered close friendships and a sense of community.
Her playful “strip club,” a year-long quilting program using fabric strips, became a local favourite, sparking laughter and stories that have lasted for years.
Many holiday-makers made the shop their first stop whenever they returned to town.
“I’ve always loved coming to work,” Joy said.
“The friendships, the laughter … we solved a lot of the world’s problems here.”
Around the same period, Joy and five others undergoing cancer treatment in Albury formed a small support circle that eventually became the foundation of Friends in Common, a well-known local organisation supporting residents who fall outside government assistance.
Joy plans to return to volunteering with the group once she closes the shop.
With retirement approaching, she is looking forward to travel, gardening, and spending more time with her children, Luke in Cheltenham, Megan in Brisbane and Andrew in Florida.
“I’ll miss the people who pop in every time they return to town, the friendships, the laughs … this place has given me so much,” Joy said.
For Yarrawonga, the closure of Material Girls marks the end of a creative landmark built on Joy’s skill, generosity, and enduring love of sewing.
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