Melbourne Places » books

Tarlo & Graham after the fire

Melbourne — Tue, 24 May 2011 12:43:02 +0000

This notice is in Tarlo & Grahm’s current window display – I hope you can read it.

Tarlo & Graham’s windows are always fascinating to me. I have written about them before in ” Tarlo & Graham – view their windows”.

I don’t believe anyone else would decorate their window with objects burned in their fire.

This is their second window onto Chapel Street.

Tarlo & Graham’s windows are one of the best reasons for a walk along Chapel Street, Windsor. They excel themselves with the strange, fun, wacky, ugly, weird, macabre – well you have to see them for yourself. They never fail to raise a smile, a laugh, or a gasp. Try to catch these ones before they change again.

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
78 Tram:-
This tram runs from St Kilda East to Richmond along Chapel Street.

Website:-

http://www.tarloandgraham.com

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.

Acland Street, St Kilda, buzzes when the rest of Melbourne is on holiday

Melbourne — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 23:50:17 +0000

Acland Street is a street alive with people and activity. When you’re in Acland Street the vibes are positive and you know that the world is still revolving. Acland Street is a street that brings you alive. That’s how I feel about Acland Street.

My first visit to Acland Street was about 10 years ago. I was a tourist and like so many tourists to Melbourne I made a pilgrimage to St Kilda. The day was perfect, the sea was calm, it was ideal for exploring Acland Street and eating a cake with coffee. The place was alive.

That was the time of the ‘Secret Life of Us’ on TV and St Kilda had an aura of excitement and expectation. It was a place where anything could happen. I still see it like that – alive to possibilities.

Acland Street has changed in those 10 years. I read articles where lovers of the area lament the changes but to me this is part of life – everything evolves.

However some things have stayed the same. The cake shops are still there as they have been for decades and I can’t see that the cakes themselves have changed – the same recipes. Hairroom the hair salon with the wonderful roof – top decoration where once I had my hair styled by a New Zealand hairdresser from Palmerston North has stayed. The book shop still hums but it is now Readings and not Cosmos.

This sculpture is on the roof of Hairroom

Remember to look up! This roof sculpture is opposite Hairroom.

What time does Acland Street wind down? I ‘m not sure but at some time the place quietens and in the early mornings it takes a while to wake up. This photo of the palm trees was taken on the Readings/ANZ corner at 8.ooam

By the mid morning the cafes are full. Some like Vibe and Big Mouth I remember from ten years ago. Others are new. The ice cream shops have multiplied ( and I see there is another about to open) Sheherazade has gone and so has La Porchetta. La Porchetta is a place I miss. The first Pizza I ate in Melbourne came from there. The Vineyard, after a number of battles with council, is still there.

During the quiet and peaceful time in the surrounding suburban street over the Christmas and the New Year break Acland Street has shown that world is still humming. I walked down there to check this out and the vibes can still make me think I am in the centre of the world and there is nowhere else to be.

Acland Street is worth visiting again and again – this is a place to feel alive and to feel that you are part of the pulsating world of action. It give us the chance to rejoice in being a city dweller. And it keeps on keeping on. If one business goes another takes its place – the street stays alive.

Getting there:-
Trams:- 16 and 96 and No. 3 in the weekends

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.

Sticky Institute for zines, creativity and the rumble of trains

Melbourne — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:21:35 +0000

The Sticky Institute was a great Melbourne Place to find. I came across it one day when I was hurrying through the underpass from Degraves Street to Flinders Street Station. I ducked into the subway under Flinders Street to speed up the journey and came face to face with the sign. I pulled up short, stared and trotted in and was so absorbed I missed my train.

I hadn’t heard of a zine before. It is pronounced ‘zeen’ and is a small, self published magazine with a small circulation and is usually reproduced by photocopier.

You can make your zine at the Sticky Institute. I haven’t made a zine yet but I enjoy browsing though the dozens on display and always buy one or two. For a couple of dollars, and that is all they are, you can share someone thoughts and get a peep into their world. The zines come in all shapes and sizes and they are a personal publication straight from the author’s mouth as it were – there is no editorial input. The ideas, the style of presentation, the layout and illustrations are the authors. Zines give complete freedom of expression and allow anyone to express themselves.

This is called ‘Mixed up Files of an Unusual Teenager’s Brain’ and made at the Sticky Institute. It comes with a badge which was also made at the Institute.

This is an American zine ‘Love Letters to Monsters #2′ and sold here in Melbourne.

Zines can be any size or shape you like. This is locally made zine is called ‘ The Day of the School Bag.’

Anyone can use the The Sticky Institute’s shop/workshop to make their zine or badge. You can also spend as long as you like browsing and reading and when you feel the creative urge talk to the staff. They are mostly volunteers and of course love the world of zines.

The most you pay for a zine is $5.00 but many are just $1 or $2.

The Sticky institute is alive with creative energy and music. This is often intensified by the rumble of a passing train, just to let you know you are underground.

The shop/work space has been around since 2001 so it definitely works as a creative space . On the shelves you can find zines from all around Australia and the world.

Getting there:-
Shop 10 Campbell Arcade
Degraves Street
Melbourne Phone 9654 9559

If you are getting off the train use the center stairs and find the exit to Flinders Street.

If you are on Flinders Street duck down the subway, opposite the side entrance to the Flinders Street station, at the end of Degraves Lane – there are two entrances.

Opening Hours:-
Monday to Friday
12.00 (noon) to 6.00pm
Saturday 12.00(noon) to 5.00pm
Sunday closed
CAMPBELL ARCADE IS CLOSED ON SUNDAY.

Find out more about the Sticky Institute from their web site here

The Myer Christmas Window Video

Melbourne — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:59:26 +0000

I was looking up the Olivia helps with Christmas story and came across this video of the Myer Christmas window. If you can’t make it down this year here is the next best thing.

The Myer Christmas window video, staring the book Olivia helps with Christmas

Myer’s Christmas windows – Olivia Helps With Christmas

Melbourne — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:08:59 +0000

Christmas tradition is always good and this year the Melbourne tradition of the Myer Christmas window display is a winner – one of the best I’ve seen – perhaps even the best. It is the story from the book “Olivia Helps Santa” by Ian Falconer.

If you have any young children in your family you’ll know that the heroine of Ian Falconer’s story is a pig, her family and the family dog.

Not having young children in my life I wasn’t familiar with the cute and enthusiastic Olivia but I immediately fell in love with her.

The windows are the book come to life and it is joy to view with or without children to accompany you.
You will come away smiling and feeling that all is good with the world. Olivia is endearing and the story is narrated by Dame Edna Everage which adds some local input to the charm of it all.
I thought Olivia and her family were so lovable that I found myself in the local bookshop browsing through the Olivia books – there’s a series – and wishing I had an excuse to buy a copy. I thought afterward that I didn’t need an excuse I could just buy a copy for my own pleasure. I will do that.
This animated, energetic pig who is full of ideas, raises grins and chuckles and enthusiasm from the crowd and the night I was there a sort of fellowship was created among us as we journeyed through Olivia’s Christmas.

I saw the show in the early evening, after the store closed and the crowd was manageable especially with the ropes controlling the direction viewers need to take.

Useful Information

Myer’s Christmas windows in Bourke Street, Melbourne’’s CBD are there until the 4th of January.

They operate from 7.30am until 1am – I have yet to see them in the dark but I am planning to. The illuminations should be even more striking and beautiful.

Booktalk Cafe, Richmond– a different style of food-and-coffee-break

Melbourne — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:45:12 +0000

At the Booktalk Cafe, 91 Swan Street, Richmond food, coffee and books seem to be of equal importance. The cafe is central to the ambiance of the shop. The tables and chairs are in the middle of the space and then they wander between the book cases to the back of the room. This is not one of those book shops where the cafe is an afterthought and tucked out of sight.

I like the name. It suggests coffee food and a chat about books we’ve read or want to read. Booktalk has shelves of new and pre-loved books. The mixture of new and used is interesting.

A notice tells you that you can’t take new books to the cafe tables. You can browse these at the shelves and people do.

Another notice tells you that you can bring in your own books to exchange and if you buy a book and return it, you get 50% off the purchase price. A lot of information but it does clue you into what it’s all about.

If you drift in by yourself there’s plenty to read with your coffee. Besides the books they have the daily papers and great selection of magazines.

The atmosphere is relaxed and slightly bohemian. The tables are busy and used by people in heated discussion, people studying, people writing and people chilling out and just people. They are always being used this has to have something to do with the quality of the food and coffee.

New and used children’s books are are available for browsing.

The food is good, well priced and healthy. Their Thai chicken salad $9.50 was delicious and a recent special of the day beef lasagne for $9.50 was a nourishing and tasty meal.

Thai chicken salad

The bacon and mushroom roti, that I would recommend, is $9.80. There are vegetarian dishes as well. I understand the breakfasts are great but I haven’t tried them yet. There are also Vegetarian meals and a Veggie Breakfast. Apple Crumble with a Muesli crumble.

Mushroom and chicken roti

To keep the literary theme many chairs are labelled with a writer’s name. I would like to choose my chair to match my mood; a heavy weight like Charles Dickens on grey overcast day when I’m feeling thoughtful and introspective or, Dick Francis if I’m in a light frivolous mood. This has never been possible as the place is too popular to leave many chairs available.

Agatha Christie

Dick Francis

An inviting and comfortable couch at the back.

Swan Street, has some factory outlets and check out Dimmeys at 140 Swan Street – the lovely old building with the clock tower – you can find some great bargains there if you hit it right. Bargains come and go quickly.

The Booktalk Cafe, 91 Swan Street, Richmond. Phone 9428 1977

Opening Hours

8.00 to 5.30 every weekday

8.30 to 5.30 Saturday and Sunday

Getting there:

Tram 70 from Flinders Street. You need to catch it in Flinders Street not outside the Flinders Station

Tram 78 runs from St Kilda East along Chapel Street and Church Street to the corner of Swan and Church Streets

Parking in Swan Street is metered but there is usually free one hour parking in the side streets.

Window shopping in Greville Street, Prahran

Melbourne — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:55:16 +0000

Greville Street, Prahran is a favourite street of mine. My first encounter was a few years ago when I walked from the Prahran Railway Station along Greville Street on my way to Chapel Street

The late afternoon sun gave an orange glow and a touch of magic to this unique street. I feel in love.

I fell in love with the funky edgy designer shops, the retro and second hand and places. There was a feeling of being outside the mainstream – a place where exciting, new and experimental things were happening. I felt it strongly then and I still do

The street has changed over the years. Less funky and ‘out-there’ but the magic is still there. Where else in Melbourne would you see a window mannequin wearing a purple dress with fuchsia tights and a pair of yellow Doc Martin boots.

A couple of my favourite shops have closed and disappeared but Palm Beads is still there as it was on my first visit and the Greville Street Bookstore gives personal service as it has for over 20 years. Greville Records has been there for ever and although other shops have come and gone the vibes have re-adjusted themselves and evolved as everything evolves with the time. The street is still one of Melbourne Places that is unique.

This a pictorial stroll showing you what caught my eye during a recent visit.

Greville Street, Prahran is a great place to be from midday onwards and in the weekend. Cafes do open early to catch the morning-workers trade and many have regulars who come at the same time every day. However many of the shops don’t open until 10am or 11am.
Coffee and food is good at most places and people-watching is a fascinating past-time in Greville Street.

Getting there

Train: The Sandringham Line to the Prahran Station and you are there.

Trams: The 72 from the CBD crosses Malvern Road and Chapel Street, get off at that junction and head north. Greville Street is on your left by the Stonnington Town Hall.

The 78 Tram runs along Chapel Street from East St Kilda and Richmond.

Explore the Books @ the Fed Square Book Market CBD

Melbourne — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:10:05 +0000

A regular Saturday Book Market is held in the Atrium of Federation Square from 11am to 5pm. There are over 5,000 books displayed at a variety of stalls that command the entire floor area of the atrium.

It is a great place for a market – warm on a cold winter’s day and cool in the height of summer and it has got atmosphere. The books create a welcoming and relaxing vibe – ideal for browsing. You can browse. No one pressures you to buy.

There are books on Oriental art, poetry classical literature, music. One stall specialized in Russian literature while another has Australian books. There are stalls for children’s books. I saw an elderly lady buying a very vintage copy of ‘Anne of Green Gables’ by L.M. Montgomery. I got an instant head picture of her going home reading it and reliving a period of her childhood. The book was first published in 1908.

It is a good place for a trip down memory lane. It’s the place I find books that I had always intended to read and then forgot about and books I’ve read and loved and want to dip into again. I found ‘Justine’ by Laurence Durrell. A book that gripped and fascinated me as a teenager.

Then there are those books that grab your attention. How can you resist a book titled ‘Espresso with the Headhunters’ by John Wasser. This unlikely title is about a trip through the jungles of Borneo. With an espresso machine? The blurb doesn’t say

If you want your own espresso or latte without the Headhunters the market is surrounded by cafes.

It is a friendly market, the books easily accessible for browsing and the stall holders knowledgeable. Most of the novels are priced about $8 to $10 and all books are in good condition.

The market will be held on every on every third Sunday of the month for a trial period. This is happening at the moment and will go on for an indefinite time. The same time as Saturday – the Atrium Federation Square, 11am to 5pm.