St Mark's Anglican Church was built in 1921 and was deconsecrated and sold in March.

Robyn and Richard Lyon thought it was a great block of land, at Main Street. They still don't know what they will do with the building in the long-term, but for now, they have transformed it into a beautiful space.

"My son told me I needed a new project," said Robyn.

"We knew the old church was a really nice place. I liked the feel of it, even though it was dark and dingy and very grubby. We changed the windows and let the light in," she said.

Because the sewerage scheme for Comboyne won't be complete until next year, rather than let the old church building become more derelict, Robyn decided to turn it into a pop-up shop on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for the next six months or so.

The gallery features the work of local artists like Ken Strong, Jo Ernst, Wendy Duffy and sculptor Nola Stumm. Also on display is furniture by Raw Collections from near Coopernook.

Robyn says she doesn't mind if people just come into the gallery to look at the art.

Wendy Duffy is a local textile artist from Comboyne whose work is on show, and who is delighted to see the old building being given a new lease of life.

"I think it's wonderful to see a building such as this displaying gorgeous artworks," she said.

"This church has very special meaning for me. I was baptized in this church and married in this church. It will be nice for people with a connection to the church to come in," she added.

Bella St Marks Emporium in Comboyne sells homeware and gardenware and is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

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