Backs were pressed up against the walls of the Mornington Island Salvation Army Family Store during its first week of opening in May.
And for good reason.
Other than a butcher and grocery store, there is not much in the way of retail shops on the gulf island, making it hard for residents to purchase goods and clothes.
Accessible only by plane and a freight barge, Salvation Army Major Ben Johnson said the isolated community was at "the end of the line".
Its residents — some of who are among the most vulnerable people in the country — paid "staggering" amounts for basic items, according to Mornington Shire Mayor Kyle Yanner.
"You only need to look at the cost of our basic grocery items compared to that on the mainland and in the bigger cities to appreciate the toll that this alone takes on our people," he said.
Mr Johnson said that "clothing was a major need".
So, when the Salvation Army set up a shop on the island this month, offering cheap clothes as well as work for locals, the response was one of cheer.
"It's really good," resident Brenton Tanner said.
"I popped in last week and there was a huge amount of people in the shop.
"There were decent clothes at decent prices."
Mr Yanner said that "the opening of the family store was warmly welcomed, and we hope it can play a part in starting to ease some of the pressure our community faces every day".
Basic items 'unattainable'
While the sting of rising living costs was being felt across the country, Mr Johnson said many would be shocked to see how severely remote communities like Mornington Island were affected.
"When we experience a shortage in our metropolitan cities, we always hear about it in the media and people are very vocal on social media," he said.
"The pricing of the items that are available are sometimes unattainable for most of the residents in those communities."
Mr Johnson said some families were flying to the mainland to purchase clothes.
"We're really meeting a need by just providing a broad range of clothes and household goods."
There to stay
Mr Johnson said the initial set-up of the Mornington Island store was funded by a Salvation Army grant with ongoing costs set to be covered by profits made at the island's store.
Extra profits would be invested back into the community.
"We're looking to run it as a social enterprise that becomes financially self-sustaining after that start-up," Mr Johnson said.
"We're training local community members to represent the Salvation Army and to run the store, and we're also looking for volunteers."
Partnerships the key
The Mornington Island Salvation Army store is currently relying on donations to its Cairns facility being transported onto the island.
But Mr Johnson noted there had already been an outpouring of donations from communities south of Mornington Island, in Karumba.
"We've got some very good partnerships with freight companies to get stock up there in a cost-effective way."
"We have the support of the local community.
"We've already had calls from people in Karumba wanting to donate just because they've seen our social media postings.
"We rely on that goodwill, and if anyone's got an idea of how they could contribute, we'd be very pleased to hear from them."
