MARGARET Jasper loves shopping so much she has made a career out of it.
Her Kyneton shop, Emporium on Piper, is a treasure trove of her favourite products, obtained by travelling the globe each year.
"It's a personal mix of the things I love," Margaret says.
They include old-fashioned children's toys, Italian glassware, Balinese homewares, antique pots from Turkey and local produce, including jams and chutneys.
"And I'm mad about Christmas so we have a terrific Christmas display," she says.
But it's Margaret's Persian rugs that set the Emporium, housed in an old butter factory, apart.
Twice a year she travels to Iran to buy rugs, producing a collection she claims is unrivalled anywhere in Australia.
"The designs are so creative - you rarely see two carpets the same," Margaret, a former teacher and personnel business owner, says.
"The colours are so wild, and the fact they are handmade and people sit down often for years to make these carpets - it almost breaks my heart."
Margaret says people come from all over Victoria to choose a rug, which can be as long as 5m and cost anything between $500 and $30,000.
"The reality is rugs last a long, long time, and when you move home you take them with you," she says.
Five years ago, Margaret and her husband moved from Melbourne to Kyneton where her husband's family have been living for generations.
Since opening the Emporium in Piper St two years ago, Margaret has seen Kyneton develop into a vibrant hub.
"It's fantastic to do business here," Margaret says.
"It's an hour from Melbourne but it's still a country town, where everybody knows everybody."
An information session at the Emporium, featuring Persian rug expert Kamahl Banihashemi, will be held on November 28 at 6.30pm.
For details, phone (03) 5422 6611.
