The Threeworlds Story
| 30 May 2005
The story of how it all came to be.
Matt had been making firegear for a couple of years, doing the markets selling his gear and generally helping to create a bit of a scene on the Gold Coast with his unstoppable enthusiasm and good spirit.
Jason had been doing much the same thing with the drums he was making. Before teaming up with Matt, Jason had been making drums in Victoria for 4 or 5 years, and then went on tour with his drum making operation, travelling to Tasmania firstly, then up to the Adelaide and onto Alice Springs, Darwin, and then across to the Gold Coast. On the tour Jason was running drum making workshops, drumming workshops, doing festivals and markets and generally having a good time with his mobile business.
The two teamed up on the Gold Coast, having met previously in Victoria at the Raja Yoga Meditation Centre. The two bright sparks had been both studying the same meditation and philosophy, and found they shared a similar passion for drums and fire twirling. 
(The lounge before and after.)
They formed Threeworlds in the lounge room of their newly found share house on the highway in Palm Beach. What initially seemed like a crazy idea (turning the lounge room into a shop) turned out to be the start of a business that has grown at a steady rate to the icon it has become.
(The early days. Lots of jams and lots of drums.)
One year after opening the doors (well, back then the doors were opened only after the customers rang the door bell, and then only if Matt and Jason weren't out the front surfing) the business had grown to occupy not only the lounge room of the two storey house, but the entire top floor. The bedrooms had been turned into an office, a workshop, a stock room, and an extension of the growing shop.
Matt, Jason and their house mates, Jodie and Andrea ended up living downstairs, and out the backyard, which was now home to three caravans.
The shop had become a home of sorts for the customers/friends of the business. Threeworlds was fast becoming a community centre of sorts. There were jam nights, parties, workshops, people coming to help in the workshop making drums and fire toys. The house was painted from wall to wall with murals, and other abstract art. Walls came down to make bigger spaces; the news came to run stories for the TV and for the local newspapers and magazines.
Threeworlds was recognised, not for it’s location but because it was different. Not because of its marketing but because it offered something real to a community starving for a bit of culture. 
(the first real shop-front, the jams continue)
The property market on the Gold Coast soon had the team up and moving to a new location. With a months notice Matt and Jason were to find a new shop, fit it out, move the shop as well as find a new place to live and move there too, all while running the current shop.
It was a time of quick decisions and hard work. They found a new place on the highway again, but closer to the action, in Mermaid Beach. The move was made possible only by the teams of people that came with vans and cars, to help move the stock, and commence building a vibe again in a block of buildings that was seriously lacking anything close to vibe.
The new shop continued to grow, as did the workshop attendance and the jam nights. The shop they now occupied was proving to be a little small for there creative minds bursting at the seams with new ideas and expanded thoughts.
(the new bigger 300m2 shop)
The shop two doors down became available one year from the time they had made their initial move. It was decision time again. The new shop was 300m2. More than twice the size of the current one. But the rent was twice the size too. After a few negotiations with the landlord and a lot of contemplation they made the move. It was on again. Hoards of people came to build and plaster and paint and clean and finally move the stock two doors down to the current location. Again it was a mission unachievable without the help of the many customers/friends that had been formed over the years.
A long way from the humble beginnings, but still a long way from the aspirations and dreams of the future. The team has grown as we have taken on staff to make and manage the growth of the business. Still there is a heart beating as Threeworlds is embarking on new ideas and creating new projects. The foundations, it seems have been laid. The systems have been created and the people present. There is a slower movement in the air, as steady preparations are made for growth into new areas. There is a vibe of happiness and enthusiasm as we are all aware of the direction we are going.
Update:
In December of 2008 Threeworlds opened it's second store in Roma st Brisbane. Set amougst the busy streets and tall buildings, this shop seeks to offers a refuge in the city, a place of good vibes and colourful people. So far so good!
