Melbourne Places » Vintage

Sacred Heart Mission’s Inkerman Street Op Shop adds new interest to East St Kilda

Melbourne — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:51:54 +0000

The corner of Hotham and Inkerman Streets seems an unlikely place to find a flourishing Op Shop. None-the-less this corner is home to a Sacred Heart Mission Opportunity Shop.

It has been here for a couple of years and although there isn’t much foot traffic it is a busy corner for road traffic. There is free parking in the local streets and this Op Shop appears to be flourishing.

The shop has become known locally for its stylish windows. They are ever changing and they display someone’s skill at window dressing.

It’s not quite the Royal Wedding but it is very cute

A recent window as seen from Hotham Street.

I think the prices here are good, too There have been complaints about the increase in prices charged by the Salvation Army shop now that it is in Carlisle. See here. I think the prices in Inkerman Street are still reasonable.

For example the charming old dolls in the window display are $10 each.

It is crowded inside but the layout works. Again someone with some flair has been at work here.

I suppose an increase in prices has become inevitable now that Op Shops have become more main stream – a place where everyone browses. Real “finds” have become harder to come by.

A spin off from this maybe the enticing window displays. In this Sacred Heart Op Shop everything in the window is for sale and you can collect your item when the window is dismantled. It is rather like putting a red sticker on a sold piece of art. You leave your phone number and an assistant will ring you and hold the item until you can collect.

Where:-
Sacred Heart Mission, Inkerman Street Op hop
415 Inkerman Street, St Kilda East

Phone: Shop – 9536 8437
For donations – 9536 8437

Opening hours:-
Monday to Thursday 10.00 to 5.00
Friday 10.00 to 7.00
Saturday & Sunday 10.00 to 5.00

Getting There: -
Trams 3 & 16 take you to the corner of Carlisle Street and Hothman Street and you can walk along Hotham to Inkerman
Driving. There is one hour street parking locally.

St Kilda keeps on changing with new apartments for old houses.

Melbourne — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 23:15:25 +0000

Melbourne is changing! “Well of course,” I hear you say.

I know this happens all the time but it came as a shock to me when I found a place I knew well was to change.

Yesterday I drove past a corner I used to live near. As I waited at the red traffic light I saw this new notice attached to a charming old house.

” Construction begins soon,” ‘they’ say. I always liked this house especially since it was painted black.

This is a corner in St Kilda where Inkerman Street crosses Barkly Street and becomes Grey Street.
You may recognize the corner because of this block.

The old uncared for houses opposite the building have wonderful concrete decorations on the second stories.

The notice of construction suggests more modern sleek units will pop up and the old pretty decorated houses will vanish. In time we will forget they were there and we will forget what we have lost.

I want to remember this Melbourne Place as it is now. That is why I am posting the photos; to keep a record of what was on this corner in 2011.

The corner is a bit of a show place of old houses displaying the frivolous and labour intensive concrete decorations of the past.

I suggest if you go through this area look up and check out the beautiful upper stories of these building. Better still take time at a red light to click a memory-photo.

Strangely, the corner milk-bar/laundry appears to be invincible.

I used to do my laundry here every Sunday morning while I read the papers. It has stayed exactly the same! It even has the same ice cream ads on the windows as it did then. Will it be next to go?

This is the corner of Grey Street, Inkerman and Barkly Streets, St Kilda.

There are some interesting and long-term shops here too;

“The Bitch is Back” features 20th century modern interiors.

“Surround” features contemporary and often cutting-edge-furniture. They have they have some of the most stunning window displays in Melbourne.

“Liquid Snow Tours” at the moment they are collecting used and new warm snow gear for the victims of the Japanese Earthquake.

Several eating places including “Mr Wolf”. – It is a great corner.

To get there by tram:-
Catch the 67 to the corner of Inkerman Street and St Kilda Road
Turn right and wander up Inkerman Street until you get to the corner with Barkly Street. It is an interesting stretch of road.

Cooks’ Cottage set in the Fitzroy Gardens takes you back to the 18th century.

Melbourne — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 09:20:38 +0000

This is not a cottage that James Cook, the great explorer and discoverer of Australia, actually lived in himself.

His parents moved there after he had left home to begin his life of adventure. It is thought that he visited the cottage at times when he was on leave from the British Navy and in that way has a strong connection with it.

James Cook in the garden of Cooks’ Cottage

James Cook is one reason to visit the house, other reasons are its charm and its depiction of the way life was lived in the cottage in its early years. It was built in 1755 in Great Ayton in England and moved brick by brick to Melbourne in 1934.

The cottage is sweet. Sweet is a good word because by today’s standards it is like a dolls house. It is tiny, the doors low and stairs positively dangerous they are so steep and narrow. There is a dress on show that was worn by a ‘lady ’of the day. How she managed to go up and down those stairs carrying ‘stuff’ and not get tangled in her skirts and finish her life in a heap at the bottom, is hard to understand.

James was the second of eight children so when the Cook family moved into this cottage we can suppose there was still a number of children at home.

When you look at the kitchen, imagine a family of say four children moving around, working, eating and stepping over the family pet. It would be something of a logistics feat and we can only suppose that everyone was very careful where they put their feet. There would be no place for anyone the least bit clumsy.

This is a version of an 18th century door mat. It is made of flint and I understand the same flint was used to make fine bone china. The door mat has stood the test of time and is still effective.

Cooks’ cottage is well worth a visit. It is charmingly arranged with clothes and furniture and objet d’art all from the right period and the house certainly has a feeling of a home. You can image the occupants crowding around the table in the kitchen, writing at the desk upstairs and scraping their boots on the door mat .

There is an audio component that helps to explain life in Captain Cook’s time. However I found that the number of people who were visiting when I was there drowned out most of the sound.

The garden is joy. It is sort of laid out like an English kitchen garden with herbs and flowers mixed together.

I was impressed with the angelica plant. I love angelica when it is crystallized and used in cake cooking.

A healthy angelica plant in the garden at Cooks’ Cottage.

Where:-
Cooks’ Cottage
Fitzroy Gardens
Wellington Parade
East Melbourne

Opening hours:-
Monday to Sunday: 9am to 5pm

Phone 9419 4677

http://www.cookscottage.com.au

Getting there:-
Fitzroy Gardens are about 10 minutes walk from Federation Square
Tram:
No 75 and 48 travel along Wellington Parade.

Akira Isogawa and the Johnstone collection

Melbourne — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:05:56 +0000

The Johnston Collection in Melbourne is secret. Well, not really. Although I heard about it only recently and was surprised no one had mentioned it to me before. It is worth mentioning because the Johnston Collection is unique.

Because of its location in suburban Melbourne the address is a sort of secret. This is so tour parties can collect at a Melbourne hotel and be transported to the house, where the collection is on show, in a bus that belongs to the Johnston Collection. It seems the local residents don’t want people coming and going. It is that sort of street.

Sadly no photographs are allowed. This is because of the insurance cover. However photos can be seen on the Johnston Collection web site

William Johnston’s house is among elegant town houses like these.

This collection is the work of one man, William Johnston. It is made up of antiques, curios and quirky pieces that represent the various passions of this astute and charming man who loved beautiful things and collected them. William Johnstone died in 1986 and left his collection, and his houses to the Victoria State Government.

The collection is huge with a large part of it being stored in a warehouse near Government House.

The current exhibition has been arranged by the fashion designer Akira Isogawa and is called ‘Akira Isogawa Meets Mr Johnston’.

Isogawa had the run of the house and the warehouse to make the choices he wanted to use to give the house his touch and style, and to create his own ambiance in the rooms. This gives some of the rooms an Asian flavour. However the curator has to work with the wall colours, the window drapes and the floor coverings.

The wall colours are Victorian so besides the Asian influence there is a touch of Victoriana in every room.

The mood for the tour is set as you arrive through the charming formal garden and into a graceful reception room. You are offered tea or coffee in delicate English tea cups and a piece of home made shortbread.

William Johnston’s life is discussed and his passion for collecting revealed. His passion began when his grandmother gave him a delicate Minton tea cup that he fell in love with. This cup is on display on a bedside table in this exhibition.

The streets in this part of Melbourne are wide with central nature strips.

If you do get to view the collection make sure you see the courtyard garden. It is lovely.

I am going to keep the faith and keep the address a secret. It is such a pleasure to be allowed to view these beautiful things that I would hate to spoil it by upsetting any of the locals.

Information:
Akira Isogawa Meets Mr Johnston runs until 20th October 2010

My Cup Runneth Over: Christmas at The Johnston Collection 2010
3rd November – 25th February

A very charming local house.

Visitor Admission:-
Weekday Tour Times:
Guided tours at 10.00 am, 12.00 noon and 2.15 pm.
Weekday Tour Cost:
Adults $22.00
Concession $18.50 (Seniors, Pensioners & Students)

Contact:- Phone 9416 2515

http://www.johnstoncollection.org/index.html

Tarlo & Graham – view their windows as you stroll Chapel Street

Melbourne — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:46:35 +0000

Tarlo and Graham at the Windsor end of Chapel Street offer a great visual feast with their windows.

Strolling around the Windsor end of Chapel Street is always fun but what draws me back time and time again are the windows of Tarlo and Graham.
I find I’m drawn on a weekly basis just to check them out.

They don’t always change weekly but another view gives another perspective and sometimes I miss something on the first
viewing and even on the second. These objet d’art and the style of the interiors they suggest, are a sort of industrial meets the…. well the
macabre. They may not be everyone’s idea of home sweet home but it is great fun to view.

The windows vary which is what makes them so fascinating. These colourful wool rugs appeared during the cold winter months.

William Tarlo and Philip Graham opened their shop about 6 years ago. They said in a recent interview that their aim was to provide an exciting and stimulating environment focusing on the unusual, exotic and collectable. Check out their website to see what they mean.

Where:-
Tarlo & Graham
60 Chapel Street
Windsor – phone 9521 2221

Opening hours:-
Monday to Saturday 12pm – 6pm
Sunday 12pm to 4pm
Of course their windows are open for viewing 24/7

Getting there: -
Train:-
The Sandringham Line to Windsor Station They are opposite – on the corner of Chapel and Mcilwrick Street
79 Tram:-
This tram runs from St Kilda East to Richmond along Chapel Street.

Website:-

http://www.tarloandgraham.com/home.html

Salvos move to Carlisle Street, St Kilda and take on a new look.

Melbourne — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:00:22 +0000

The say good things come in small packages and the St Kilda, Salvation Army Opportunity Shop is proof of this. They have downsized. In doing so they have created a much better outlet in Carlisle Street than the previous one on the corner of Inkerman Street and St Kilda Road.

That huge rambling and messy warehouse on the corner of Inkerman Street and St Kilda Road has closed. The site has turned into a bike emporium.

The new shop in Carlisle has style compared with the old one and they have cut down on their stock. I always believed that there was so much ‘stuff’ in the old warehouse no one would be able say exactly what was in there.

The new store has added style to a Salvo browse. The shop is laid ‘out’. The dressing rooms are no longer a sort of curtained box, designer gear is in the front when you walk in.

Shoes are ordered on racks and someone keeps them tidy.

Home wares tend to be colour coded for example there is a shelf of blue. Books are newer – less knocked about, It feels cleaner and there are less of the things that no one is ever going to buy. It also feels as if the place is dusted sometimes – perhaps regularly.

I have been told they are charging more that they did in the old warehouse. This could apply to their designer gear although my black Country Road singlet was $5.00.

Last time I was there they had a piano, which seemed odd because the shop next door is a piano shop. I was hoping some one in the large browsing crowd would play it. If they did it was after I left. I also noticed some crutches in one corner should you ever need any.

The Salvos, St Kilda:-
Opposite the City of Port Phillip Town Hall in Carlisle Street.

Opening hours:-
Monday to Wednesday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Thursday to Friday 9.00 to 7.00pm
Saturday 9.00a, to 5.00pm

Getting there:-
Trams No 3 or No 16
Get off at the stop on the corner of St Kilda Road and Carlisle Street.

Australian Made: 100 years of Fashion at the Ian Potter Centre, Federation Square

Melbourne — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 23:02:09 +0000

This is an exhibition of frocks from 1855 to 1960. It is interesting to see how design and fashion has changed over those 100 years. Especially when you think it reflects enormous social and lifestyle changes for women.

Day dress 1865-1870 sold in Geelong

The exhibition focused on where the dress was made and sold – that is what department store retailed it.
What I missed was how they were made especially those from the 1850s. Very elaborate garments with tucks, ribbons, bows, flounces, puffs etc. Who cut the patterns and what sort of sewing machine sewed with such intricacy? How much was done by hand?

Handmade dress 1850s

We know that one garment was made completely by hand. When you look at the frock and think about that, it is awe inspiring to consider the skill and time needed. You would also need good eye sight – although I’m sure people wore glass in the 1850s.

We know that in the 1950s dressmakers used tissue paper patterns – they can still be seen in op shops and at markets but how did they cut the design in 1850s – the same way?

The bodice of a wedding dress 1907

It is interesting to note that the 1950s fashion was more restrictive and formal that that of the 1920s. The 1920s garments are free and fun whereas the 1950s are designed to a ‘female figure’ with emphasis on the waist and full skirts with stiff petticoats.

1950’s day dress with stiffened petticoat

A disturbing item in the exhibition is the cape made of platypus fur. I worked it out that several of those charming beings gave up their life to make this cape.

Cape of platypus fur 1890

There is also a glass cabinet of accessories with descriptions of each one.

Perhaps the success of an exhibition is that when you leave you want to know more – your interest has been roused. I want to know more about the early frocks and how they were designed and how they were made. I want to know what the very early sewing machines looked like and easy they were to use.

What:-Australian Made 100 Years of Fashion.

Where:- The Ian Potter Centre: NGV, Federation Square

Opening Hours:- 10.00am to 5.00pm daily, until 23 Jan 2011

Admission:- Free

Railway antiques, restored furniture, coffee and cakes at the Albert Park Station.

Melbourne — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:05:46 +0000

You don’t have to be a railway buff to enjoy a stop at the Victorian Railway Arts and Antiques – the place that is like a museum.
Ride the 96 tram that’s the light rail, to St Kilda and get off at the Albert Park Station.

From the platform you walk into the old, red, brick station building left over from the time when this was a railway line. It houses railway memorabilia.

Wader around and you get to absorb the experience of travelling along route 96 when the journey was taken by train.
There is much old railway paraphernalia to browse through and also, beautifully resorted and polished pieces of furniture. Some of the pieces are huge and hidden under smaller things. It takes ages to see what is there.

A nice touch, as you walk up the concrete ramp from Canterbury Road into the quaint red brick building, is the ticket dispenser still holding those old cardboard tickets. It is as if you should take a ticket to continue your journey though the building.

Some of my favourite pieces:-

Station clock.

Station trolley

A small back door from the store leads onto the light rail platform and the other end of the long narrow building becomes a coffee shop. This is a relaxed and friendly place. The word homely could describe it.

It is an odd cafe to find in sophisticated Albert Park. It is like wandering into someone’s kitchen and asking for a snack.

The kitchen runs behind the counter and if you arrive at the right time you can see the cook cum barista cum waitress taking a cake from the oven. She makes all the food. The menu is simple, toasted sandwiches, cakes, biscuits, some large and beautiful meringues served with cream.

The coffee is good and the baked cheese cake one of the best around, there are papers and magazines to read, an open courtyard with more railway artefacts and the sound of the light rain swishing past to let you know that this is a station.

Coffee at Albert Park Station – Tram route 96

The Railway antiques are open daily 9.30 to 5.00pm

The coffee shop is closed on Mondays

Getting there:-
Ride the 96 tram to the Albert Park Station stop

Carlisle Street in St Kilda East is evolving. Check out the Carlisle Street Bazaar

Melbourne — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:22:37 +0000

The Carlisle Street Bazaar opened just before Christmas adding another retail experience to shopping in the piece of Carlisle Street around the Balaclava Rail Station.
This Carlisle Street Bazaar replaces a store where I often browsed. It was one of those stores that covered an eclectic range merchandise – clothes, furniture, home ware, jewelery, gifts. All this appeared to be individually chosen to give a cohesion to the store. This space has now morphed into the Carlisle Street Bazaar. It is as if the original store has re-invented itself and presented a new face to the world, the cohesion has gone but the atmosphere has livened up.

To me it is an improvement. For one thing the space is lighter and brighter. I found the old space rather gloomy. The variety is better and it is more fun to browse.

Stock moves too. There was a hand created metal pig and sheep when I first walked into the Bazaar and a few days later they had gone. “Snapped up,” I was told. They still have smaller roosters from the same artist. They are the sort of patio/garden object that lift your spirits and cause you to smile.

So far the Carlisle Street Bazaar have been a constantly changing visual feast – new clothes, new displays, new bric-a-brac.

At this point the venture looks successful and it will be interesting to watch it evolve. I like the original art and would like to see more creative works for sale.

To discuss hiring space: – phone 0411598411.
Opening hours: -

Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 6.00pm. The Bazaar closes at 5.00pm on Sunday.

Getting there:

Trams – 12, 3, going along Carlisle Street, first stop past St Kilda Road. 67 Tram get off at the corner of Carlisle and St Kilda Road or a 78 that runs from Richmond to the St Kilda East end of Chapel Street.

Train – Sandringham line to Balaclava Stration

Trash, Treasure or vintage? It is hard to decide in Womango, 47 Chapel Street, Windsor/Prahran.

Melbourne — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:50:50 +0000

The Windsor end of Chapel Street is know as the funky end of Chapel Street, Prahran To me it is the fun end. I often pass Womango and I can never resist the window. It’s a ’stop and stare and stare some more and chat to your friend’ sort of window. It’s a collectors paradise.

Womango’s Window –
Inside it is as crammed with goods as the window. The old saying ‘there is nowhere to put a pin down’ is spot on.

At the entrance there is a notice saying ‘No Big Bags’ and you can see why. Even without a big bag you have to be careful not to send some of the treasures flying.

There’s a yellow and green jug in the window that I like and I can spend ages gazing at the rings that are in a case inside and then there is something about those long white evening gloves of the fifties. What romance they conjure up. Yesterday there was an old wooden ladder in very good condition filling up some of the entrance space.

If you are a visiting Chapel Street for vintage, retro, antiques and treasures from the recent past , I’d start here.
If you are a collector and looking for something in particular the owner knows her stock – that’s a feat in itself. She is knowledgeable and is happy to talk. She is also happy for you to spend as long as you like exploring this visual feast.
Note the opening hours – they are unusual for the area:-
Closed Monday and Tuesday. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 12.00pm to 6.00pm.

You can ring the owner if you need to make contact at other times – 9533 6650 or 0410 750 310

Getting there

Take the Sandringham Line Train to Windsor Station. Come out of the Windsor Station and you are there. Womango is more or less opposite Syber’s Book Shop, by the pedestrian crossing.

Trams 78 and 79 run the full length of Chapel Street between St Kilda and Richmond.

If you are coming from the CBD by tram you need a tram number 8 or 6 or 72. These trams intersect with Chapel Street at some point.