About
North Stores is a collaboration between long-time best friends and business partners Brenda Fawdon and Sonja Drexler.
Winner of the SRRC Business Excellence Award.
About Us
Brenda Fawdon
Brenda Fawdon is a longstanding hospitality professional and owner of three successful restaurants in Brisbane, Queensland: Primavera – Spring Hill (1982–1991), The Soup Kitchen – West End (1991–1999) and Mondo Organics (restaurant, catering and cooking school – West End (2000–2015), the latter co-owned with Sonja Drexler. Brenda and business partner, Sonja, are the founders and owners of North Stores and Picnic Real Food Bar.
Brenda is also a chef, food educator, presenter, business visionary and consultant, and a cookbook author. Her books include Wholehearted Food, UQP, 2013 and Eat Local – Food, Farming and Conversation in the Scenic Rim Volume 1 and Volume 2, commissioned by the Scenic Rim Regional Council, 2016, 2018., and co-authored with Christine Sharp. She was a contributing author to the award-winning book, Harvest, published by QAGOMA in 2014.
In 2014 and 2017 Brenda and Sonja Drexler led food and wine tours to Italy with UK company Tastes of Italy. In 2018 Brenda and Sonja founded and grew Real Food Farm Gate, a farm-gate-to-farmers’-market business, which they then sold to a local farming family in 2021.
Brenda is also a Scenic Rim food ambassador, farmers’ market produce curator and local growers’ advocate.
Sonja Drexler
Sonja Drexler is a dynamic hospitality professional, working in the industry since 1983. She was the co-owner of Mondo Organics (restaurant, catering and cooking school – West End (2000–2015) in Brisbane, Queensland, with Brenda Fawdon, and is the co-founder and owner of North Stores and Picnic Real Food Bar.
In 2014 and 2018 Sonja and business partner Brenda Fawdon led food and wine tours to Italy with UK company Tastes of Italy. In 2017 Sonja and Brenda founded and grew Real Food Farm Gate, a farm-gate-to-farmers’-market business, which they then sold to a local farming family in 2021.
Sonja is also a talented designer of built environment and the fine creative mind behind the North Stores building and interior design. With a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science Built Environment from QUT, Sonja is a qualified interior designer, architectural concept designer and project manager, with a focus on sustainable and ecological design, and with 13 years experience in the building industry.
Location and accessibility
North Stores is a stone’s throw from the lush eucalypt forests and rainforests of Tamborine National Park. This prime location offers easy access to our area’s natural wonders, and is the perfect starting point for an exploration of Tamborine’s beauty.
Getting to North Stores is a breeze. We have ample parking available for visitors, ensure that our spaces are accessible to everyone, and invite our guests to enjoy all that North Stores has to offer.
Why visit North Stores?
At North Stores, we offer more than just a destination; we provide an experience where food, art and nature converge. Our commitment to environmental sustainability is evident in every aspect of our precinct, from our thoughtfully curated shops and spaces to our purpose-built venue hire.
Here, visitors can immerse themselves in the tranquillity of Tamborine Mountain, breathe in its clean air, and partake in our vibrant local culture — all while supporting sustainable practices that respect our beautiful planet.
Plan your visit
North Stores invites you to discover the charm of Tamborine Mountain at your own pace.
Whether you're joining us for a leisurely lunch at our Picnic Real Food Bar, exploring our collection of local artworks, or engaging in one of our hands-on workshops, we have something available for everyone.
Please note that we recommend booking in advance for any North Stores workshops or events you plan to attend, to ensure your spot in these popular activities.
Our Story
Brenda Fawdon and Sonja Drexler searched high and low for a suitable site, and eventually purchased a pizza wedge-shaped block of vacant land on the picturesque Main Street of North Tamborine, a short walk from the eucalypt forests and rainforests of the Tamborine National Park. Brenda and Sonja put heart & soul into creating the North Stores precinct.
Determined to find a way and the means, and in response to a community need for locally sourced, fresh and organically grown fruit and veg, they established another small business – Real Food Farm Gate. Each Thursday, they’d drive from dawn till dusk around the wider local region sourcing quality produce, which they’d then take to the weekly farmers’ markets on Tamborine Mountain and the Gold Coast. They worked doggedly and built the business over a couple of years, championing the region’s growers, and meanwhile saving the resources to invest in their vision.
They met every setback and challenge (and there were quite a few) with the same courage and tenacity they bring to all their undertakings, and finally had the reserves to build the first stage of North Stores – an environmentally sustainable and architecturally designed food, art and nature hub in the heart of Tamborine Mountain.
Brenda and Sonja put heart & soul into creating North Stores.
They searched high and low for a suitable site, and eventually purchased a pizza wedge-shaped block of vacant land on the picturesque main street of North Tamborine, a short walk from the eucalypt forests and rainforests of the Tamborine National Park. They now had the land, but they needed to fund the build.
Determined to find a way and the means, and in response to a community need for locally sourced, fresh and organically grown fruit and veg, they established another small business – Real Food Farm Gate. Each Thursday, they’d drive from dawn till dusk around the wider local region sourcing quality produce, which they’d then take to the weekly farmers’ markets on Tamborine Mountain and the Gold Coast. They worked doggedly and built the business over a couple of years, championing the region’s growers, and meanwhile saving the resources to invest in their vision.
A New adventure
They searched high and low for a suitable site, and eventually purchased a pizza wedge-shaped block of vacant land on the picturesque main street of North Tamborine, a short walk from the eucalypt forests and rainforests of the Tamborine National Park. They now had the land, but they needed to fund the build.
Determined to find a way and the means, and in response to a community need for locally sourced, fresh and organically grown fruit and veg, they established another small business – Real Food Farm Gate. Each Thursday, they’d drive from dawn till dusk around the wider local region sourcing quality produce, which they’d then take to the weekly farmers’ markets on Tamborine Mountain and the Gold Coast. They worked doggedly and built the business over a couple of years, championing the region’s growers, and meanwhile saving the resources to invest in their vision.
ESCAPE TO TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN
Take a trip to Tamborine Mountain and explore all that North Stores has to offer.