Scout Finch

In our house Sundays are truly as easy as a Sunday morning.

Given our unusual work schedules, we try to reserve the day for relaxing, catching up and basically doing our best impersonations of lizards who graze all day.

Just bliss.

While the word Sunday can strike fear in many with its close proximity to Monday, it’s a word that is celebrated in this household. Another reason I love the word so much is its connection to my new found obsession – Sunday Social.

Photo courtesy of Sunday Social

This is a quirky and very cool boutique found at Winn Lane in Fortitude Valley. Step down a side street off Ann Street, Fortitude Valley and you will discover Winn Street Laneway.

The shop has been open for four-and-a-half years now and is the brain child of funkster Jessica Barty, who adores mixing new pieces with clothing from the 70s.

The laneway shop boasts a mix of local finds, their own designs, lots of vintage and very cool new treasures from the USA and Japan.

A visit to Sunday Social is a must and is surrounded by some cool places, such as a coffee shop, burger joint, hair salon, recording studio, boutiques and working spaces in Winn Lane, which in itself is becoming a creative pocket in Brisbane’s inner city.

Hidden behind historic Shannon’s building which houses the iconic Zoo live music venue, this small laneway is a hive of activity for Brisbane’s creative types and those seeking something different

And word is due to the success of this place, the team behind Sunday Social are going to be popping up in Melbourne early next year.

Photo courtesy of Sunday Social

Make sure you check out their website – but be warned they have way too much stuff to put up online, so do make the time to visit the actual shop and rummage through their treasure trove of goodies.

Can you keep a secret? Well, I can’t.

One of my favourite vintage shops in Brisbane, Can You Keep A Secret, is moving and expanding.

The cool vintage shop was located at Greenslopes for more than four years, but for a number of reasons they needed to move. Owners Ajanta and Emily are moving their much-loved store near the Mater Hospital at Wooloongabba in September.

Right next to a funky bar they set up earlier in the year.

Owner Ajanta said the move to expand was a natural choice given their love for entertaining.

“We used to host functions and parties at the last place and always received such positive feedback about the music, venue and the fact it felt like a good old house party,” Ajanta said.

“We also found every time we went out we were never satisfied. Nowhere felt as good and fun as home.

“So we opened our own bar/home away from home!”

Complete with exposed brick and a stunning heritage terrace feel, the site is amazing and true to the vintage heritage.

For Brisbane-ites, it’s located in the former Hillyards Shop House and was just what the pair had been looking for.

“We’d been looking for a new space for a short while and were either trying to find a house so we could have the same vibe as we had, or a warehouse to go more into the events/function side of things,” Atjanta said.

“I visited some friends in Melbourne and after walking the streets down there knew what I really wanted.

“Low and behold, when I got back and asked Emily what she saw and where, we had the exact same vision and area, without me mentioning anything to her about my thoughts.

“We went online to look at real estate and saw Hillyards Shop House pretty much straight away. Great minds I say.”

The former jewellery shop needed a bit of TLC before they could move in, but like any vintage piece it was worth the work.

“The back room already had exposed brick so we knew it was under there, but didn’t know the state of it,” Atjanta said. “You could feel the place sigh when it all came off. Finally it could breathe again!

“Our style and theming is fairly consistent with our original shop with obviously adapting into it the classic era of the building itself.”

The new store was a natural progression for the vintage lovers and allows them to provide more space for their growing store and to cater for Brisbane’s supportive community.

“There’s a nice community in Brisbane and the true vintage lovers are very dedicated,” Atjanta said. “The dealers I have met all support each other as we all have our own niche market/era.

“Everything is sourced locally and hand-picked so the quality of our items is very high.

“It also means we’re pretty much all Australian made. We’ll find stuff at garage sales, deceased estates, second-hand shops, you name it! Emily can sniff things out from a mile away.”

Check out for their Facebook page to see upcoming news or updates. And keep an eye out for their funky signs they have outside – very funny!

Circa Vintage’s Nicole Jenkins lives by one motto: ‘fashion fades, style is eternal.’

While Yves St Laurent may have famously said the line, Nicole lives and breathes it.

As the owner of one of Australia’s largest vintage web shops, Nicole is a true purveyor of quality and authentic vintage clothing.

Nicole Jenkins
Photo courtesy of Circa Vintage

I should know I’ve been admiring her beautiful vintage pieces online for years.

Armed with a love of vintage clothing passed down from her mum and a desire to never dress like others, Nicole first opened her Circa Vintage store in 2004 and in 2010 carried the brand to an online store.

Due to the success of her online store, Nicole recently closed the Melbourne store to further focus on her web shop and is fast moving towards her goal of owning the largest vintage online shop in the world. Her store (click here to view) currently has about 2,000 pieces from almost 200 years of fashion.

“The brick and mortar shop allowed us to offer a high degree of customer service, in particular with advising people about which pieces best suit their needs, and putting an outfit together,” Nicole said.

“The webshop makes up for these strengths by offering a much wider range, as it’s not subject to space limitations. It’s also easier to find what you’re looking for with an online catalogue, as opposed to a physical shop.

“It also allows us to present items that are too old or fragile to hang in a shop where they might get dirty from street dust.

“Previously we had to factor in the cost of cleaning and mending as some items would get damaged or dirty in the shop – now we can price lower as the overheads aren’t as high. I’m going to miss that one-on-one service but I’m still available for consultations by appointment.”

Photo courtesy of Circa Vintage

The online store also allows Nicole to expand her popular range, which she has been building over the past 35 years.

“Hopefully the new, expanded webshop will be a great success, and the flexibility of no longer operating a retail shop with the structured hours that entails frees me up to do more writing, research and presenting,” Nicole said.

“I’d like to one day have the opportunity to teach the history of fashion to interested people, so I hope to start further studies in that area soon.”

Photo courtesy of Circa Vintage

It’s a far cry from her previous roles in software design and management, but it’s a rather natural fit considering her early foray into the wonderful world of vintage.

“I’ve always had a passion for historical clothing, so it makes a lot more sense to me than other roles that I’ve had,” she said. “It feeds my inquisitive need for inspiration and desire to touch beautiful fabrics.”

A desire and passion passed down from her glamorous mother and her grandmother’s stories of style icons.

“Without my mum’s passion, my life would be very different. Her wardrobe included many old pieces including a wide belt with a large Art Nouveau silver buckle and a silk velvet 20s opera coat,” Nicole said.

“My grandma was very different though: she lived through hard times in Glasgow and London in the Blitz, so associated second hand clothing with poverty, as so many of that generation do.

“She would enthral me with tales of Dior New Look style fashions in the 40s and hand sewn Parisian cocktail hats, but she didn’t keep anything.

“She liked to live in the here and now. I’m not sure what she would make of my career, she’d probably find it very curious!”

Nicole’s store offers customers with a wide-range of eras and genres, but asking her personal preference is like asking someone to name their favourite child. Like a true vintage lover, she has a special place in her heart for each genre.

Photo courtesy of Circa Vintage

“I love all the eras, as every time has something wonderful for the modern wearer, but mostly I dress in 30s, 40s and 50s,” Nicole said.

“These are the golden years of grown up glamour, but for fun I like to dip into the 60s and 70s too. Most of the styles (especially pre 60s) were made as one-offs or in small quantities so you need never fear entering a party to find someone else in your dress.”

Nicole’s love and knowledge about vintage clothing is endless, so much so that she’s recently written about her love in a book titled Style is Eternal. This is her second book after her first book, Love Vintage, sold out.

“Vintage fashion is simply more beautiful, better quality and often cheaper than modern fashions,” Nicole said.

“It offers an unlimited range of possibilities, with hand finishing, decorative techniques and fabrics that sometimes aren’t even made any more.

“They encapsulate the romance of another time, and have survived because they were important to someone, and your life with them simply adds another element to their ongoing story. If you look after them, they also offer an excellent investment as they’re only becoming rarer.”

Amen sister!

I’ve been rather busy with life of late.

New job, new renovations in the pipeline, new vegetable garden and, well, just loving life.

But don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about Scout & Finch. In my recent travels, I’ve been collecting a few things that I’ve scouted out and want to share with you. So here goes…

The Cargo Case – this is a fantastic Brisbane company that creates cool one-of-a-kind vintages cases with in-built sound systems. Forget having ugly, gaudy speakers in the corner, now you can have a decorative vintage case hiding the cords and – the system is also smartphone compatible.  They aren’t mass produced; each one has a special look and is made out of pre-loved vintage suitcases. Visit www.thecargocase.com.

Photo courtesy of Cargo Case

Salvage Designs – this is a relatively new shop in Warana, Sunshine Coast. The shop sells cool retro furniture and lighting fittings as well as housing  an espresso bar. Located on the busy Nicklin Way, this new shop is a great little treasure. Check out the industrial lamps they have created – just stunning. Oh and they make delicious coffee too. Visit https://www.facebook.com/salvagedesign

Photo courtesy of Salvage Design

Photo courtesy of Salvage Designs

Lady Brass Steampunk Garnishes – I found this fantastic little stall at the Boundary Street Markets at West End. Such a clever idea, where the talented lady makes amazing rings, tie clips, hair clips/slides, brooches and earrings out of old metal parts. I bought a pair of hair slides made out of old typewriter parts. Visit her at the markets or check out her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LadyBrassSteampunkGarnishes

Photo courtesy of Steampunk

Photo courtesy of Steampunk

Retro Kitchen – I found this cool business at the recent Everything Deco and Retro Vintage Fair at Windsor. They have amazing 1950s home décor and specialise in retro aprons, tea towels, table cloths, ’50s kitchen items, retro collectables, cups, glassware… It made me feel really nostalgic for my grandmother’s home and the times I spent with her there. Check them out at http://retrokitchenhomedecor.bigcartel.com/. I think they have a great Easter sale at present.

Photo courtesy of Retro Kitchen

Biridies raised vegetable garden – I’d been planning on building two raised vegetable gardens in our backyard for some time. After much research and picking the brains of my family, I finally decided on the Birdies range. I love these as you can configure them into the shape you want and they are easy to use (particularly for a new gardener like myself). We now proudly have two Birdies garden beds – one for cucumbers, tomatoes and shallots and the other for different varieties of lettuce, capsicum and spinach. New post coming up on my progress, but in the meantime check out my very first vegetable. Isn’t that the most gorgeous cucumber you have ever seen? Check out www.birdiesgardenproducts.com.au

My first vegetable – out of my garden.

Photo courtesy of Birdies

When I stumbled across SWOP in West End (often part of the Boundary Street Markets) I thought I had simply come across a cool vintage shop.

But then I had a “wait there is more” moment that would make any telemarketer very proud.

As I sifted through the racks and racks of cool items, I saw that this place is so much more than that.

It’s a place – the name really should have given me a clue, but at times I’m not the quickest – that lets you swap and resell old clothes you are no longer wearing or can’t fit into (you know you have them!).

The owners also buy vintage or retro clothes and cool accessories and then resell them to the public. You can either walk away with some moolah or choose to swap that money for the many great pieces in store.  Guess, which one I did? Go on, I bet you won’t guess.

Ha ha

Going by my chat with the cool hipster lady at the counter, SWOP’s main objective is to create an affordable fashion den in Brisbane where people can buy and sell cool clothes without breaking the bank. But still looking very cool!

The owners have apparently modelled the SWOP store on clothing exchanges throughout the USA.

The great thing about SWOP is that you can sell any clothing, shoes or accessory item as long as they are in excellent condition.

You don’t need a wardrobe bursting with designer outfits to trade at SWOP.

SWOP is open Wednesday to Sunday – I believe they do their buying on weekends, offering cash at 25% of the sale price or 50% in-store credit for your goods.

If not all of your spring-cleaned goods are accepted, the team will donate them  to charity for you, saving you that extra trip to an op shop. But don’t take my word for it, check them out via the usual methods below…

SWOP
Factory 1, 93 Boundary Street, West End
Ph: 0421 414 475
Open: Wednesday to Friday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Saturday to Sunday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm

It sounds nerdy, but I have been on the hunt for a cool lampshade for almost eight months. A lampshade that isn’t boring. A lampshade that isn’t just 50 shades of grey (boring!). Come on people, someone please make lampshades that aren’t so boring or cost the same amount as my first car. Anyhow, I digress. So it was while on the hunt for this elusive lampshade for my antique floor lamp that I came across addVintage at East Brisbane. addVintage specialises in retro, Danish and Eames-era furniture and collectables.

They have a cool range of retro lounge suites, dining suites, storage units, sideboards, buffets, floor lamps, art glass vases, dinnerware, cowhide rugs and other rare and timeless items that were found in homes between 1947 and 1974 in Australia and overseas. They also stock local items and top-quality pieces sourced from northern Europe. And, most importantly, they had my lampshade. It was a shade found at an estate sale in Paddington and was from the 1960s. It had everything I wanted – shape, many colours and a cool story. Be still this vintage furniture lover’s heart. Check the place out, and make time for a coffee as they have a quirky café on site.

addvintage.com.au

I know this place isn’t new. I know everyone has written about this place, visited it, bought things from here, taken their mums here … yadda yadda yadda.

But I haven’t, so it’s new to me, and that’s what this whole blog is all about – places that I’m discovering for the first time.

This place is amazing. Located in the former Plaza Theatre on Latrobe Terrace in Paddington, it is home to 50 separate dealers who all have their own sections, or “shops” as they call them, scattered around the large centre.

The original Plaza Theatre, built in late 1920s, was one of only two “atmospheric” theatres in Australia. When it first opened, it was part of the short-lived picture palace movie theatre phenomenon. In the early 1960s, it ceased to operate as a cinema and a level floor was installed and the building was used for indoor basketball. I don’t like this part of the story (ewww) so will rush through quickly … ahhh here we are, then in 1985 it opened as an antique centre.

It’s packed and you will need a lot – I mean a LOT – of time to see everything. There is some rhyme and reason in their theming and order, but not much, and to be honest it’s that organised chaos that brings a little something extra to the experience.

It’s got everything from vintage and retro clothing, to old furniture, new furniture done up to look old, military stuff, china, glass and silver, old jewellery  and old records…I haven’t even begun to really get into the list of stuff this place has.

Like any antique shop, there is some crap that really shouldn’t be in antique or vintage arena, but there are a lot of little wonders to make a visit worthwhile.

My favourites were the lamp and retro glass cabinet sections.

It’s here that I finally found the perfect vintage glass scotch decanter that I’ve been searching for for years. Now my tortured writer look is coming together…excellent (insert Mr Burns voice here).

And yes, they also have a quaint little café inside too…which looked cool.

Please note I have stolen (I mean borrowed) quite a lot of these photos from Paddignton Antique Centre and mingled them with some of my own so you think I’m a really cool photographer when really I just got distracted with all the cool and pretty things as I walked around.

Following my recent post about the art of op shopping, I’ve decided to occasionally feature key op shops that I either find on my travels or are among my favourites.

I can’t think of a better op shop to launch this idea than this great dame at 16 Latrobe Terrace in Paddington.

This Paddington Vinnies is found in the stunning and heritage-listed (I’m led to believe) Foresters Hall.

This store has become one of my favourites because it hasn’t followed other op shops in trendy suburbs in Brisbane by becoming either too wanky, too expensive or (and this is happening too much) full of brands and labels that companies have got rid of because they’re not sold at retail.

While the latter is OK, it’s not OK to put in an op shop then only charge $5 less than what it sold three seasons ago in retail.

This Vinnies is set in an old-style community hall with two levels.  And at all times it’s packed to the brim of goodies. From modern pieces to shoes, bags, furniture, kitchen items and even a disco ball hanging right in the centre of the old hall.

Then you come to the back end (on second tier up stairs) where you find the vintage and retro section, which, in my opinon, has to be one of the best in Brisbane to date.

Here you will find moderately priced items, such as formal wear, shirts, skirts and even leather jackets, from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and some from the ’90s. I have found a retro pair of Levi’s and an old knee-length red leather jacket from the ’70s in this section for only $20. The dry cleaning cost me more!

This area also has a section dedicated to beautiful pieces that the savvy volunteers know are a good buy. For example, last time I went I took my beautiful friend Naomi and we found her a Charlie Brown silk cocktail dress (from last season) hanging on the hanger. This dress – still with new tags of $398 – was selling just for$12! That’s right, it had never been worn and it still had tags on the dress.

Now that’s why I op shop. Not because I’m a tight arse (although there’s a little of that too I suppose) but because it’s the thrill of the find.

When we found that, we both felt like we had just won the ultimate of all lotteries. While I’ll never get my head around the idea of someone paying that retail price and then never wearing it, I’m secretly glad they do as otherwise I would never wear brands. Ha ha ha ha

Anyhow, back to the store. The back section is a treasure trove of vintage finds at reasonable prices.

Back near the counter and entry, you can take the narrow creaky steps up to the gallery, which overlooks the hall. Here you can also find funky evening wear and dress-ups including a masks, pirate vests, karate and Hawaiian fancy dress outfits.

It’s a shop that has never let me down. Give it a go.