Thursday, 4 August 2022

Helen Cantone and Christine Barro

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (10:33): Today I celebrate the achievements of two famous and amazing Melbourne businesswomen, Helen Cantone and Christine Barro. Both were honoured in the recent Lord Mayor’s Small Business Awards—Helen for her 40-plus years and Christine for her 20-plus years of continuous operation of a business within the City of Melbourne. Helen started as a 15-year-old in a small manicure salon and at the age of 17 bought the business. Forty years on she has now located her You Day Spa at 15 Collins Street, and this is appreciated by her loyal and large clientele, including me. Christine started as a buyer for the legendary department store Georges before opening her namesake store on Flinders Lane in 2000 and then relocating to become Christine on Collins in 2019. Christine on Collins presents collections of fashion, fragrances and accessories by the world’s most lauded design talents in a multistorey salon without peer or precedent. These two fabulous women understand what developing and maintaining a niche business in a very competitive market is all about. I applaud their well-deserved City of Melbourne recognition, and I am happy to call both Helen and Christine my friends.