Office Choice Bega owners Lex and Ruth Marshall retire after faithful career serving Bega Valley

"I like to have flowers in here every day, it gives a lovely feel bringing nature inside. I just think they're superb, you can't beat anything like that," Ruth said.

"And sometimes people come in and they really are sad and down, and so I just say, 'I'd love for you to take a flower with you,' and it's amazing how they change."

Lex and Ruth have just sold the business and spent recent days with the new owners working on a smooth transition.

After moving to Bega in 2008 to retire, Lex and Ruth followed an opportunity when they noticed Office Choice was on the market.

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Having successfully established Marshall Office Supplies in Adelaide, the couple thought they could turn Office Choice around while having a bit of fun and meeting people in the process.

The first location of the business was a 140sqm shop on the corner of Ayres Walkway, they then moved to 104 Auckland Street 18 months later, almost doubling the property's floor size, before moving to Hill Street in 2019 where they have been ever since.

In 2021, Ruth was a finalist for the Women in Business Award in the Bega Customer Service and Business Awards, a nomination that showcased her dedication to helping the community.

"We get to retire and the Valley gets a new family," Lex said with a smile, as he sat in his office, his successor Rachel Whittaker watching on.

New owners David and Rachel Whittaker are learning the ropes and looking forward to the opportunity to become part of the community, with their first day of trade on October 2.

"[We] thought it would be a really good change, and we'd spoken to Lex and Ruth over a period of about 3-4 months, and then we came down the end of June and got to see the place and spend some time with Lex and Ruth," Rachel said.

"[We] decided 'Yes, this is for us,' so the whole family's coming from Victoria."

Rachel smiled from across the office, before she recalled the moment a customer walked in to request a large print of a spreadsheet detailing a family tree to share on the weekend.

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"It's really cool," she said before Ruth chimed in, "It's a lovely feeling, you feel as though you belong."

"I think it's better to sell a business and move out than starting to lose the grip of it or whatever, and it's advancing so well, it's just improving the whole time," Ruth said.

"The people who are taking over are second to none, we're very lucky to have such lovely people taking it on because they're very experienced."

When the couple of 60 years was asked what the future held for them, Ruth said she looked forward to spending time in the garden and vegetable patch, saying she would still visit Office Choice to bring flowers in.

They were also planning to travel "like grey nomads" with caravan in tow to Perth to see family, but perhaps their work in retail is not yet completely wrapped up.

"I wouldn't mind selling tractors, that would be one thing I'd like to sell, they are fascinating," Ruth added with a smile.

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