Melbourne Places » Funky Retro

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

A retro experience at ‘Lost and Found’ in Collingwood

Melbourne — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:32:19 +0000

If your idea of heaven is whiling away a few hours amongst retro/re-cycled/vintage clothing and collectibles, then head for Lost and Found 12 Smith Street, Collingwood.

It is said that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. The odd thing is that there is so much ‘treasure’ left around. When you walk into Lost and Found you think you have found all the collectibles left in the city because there is so much ‘stuff’. It is an Aladdin’s cave.

The building itself is Vintage. Something out of a horror movie – except it is full of light rather than shadows but you could get lost in the same way.

You enter on the ground floor and there are staircases disappearing up and down in all directions. There are little alcoves, recess, and hidden nooks where ever you turn. It is fascinating and I couldn’t stop taking photos. You may think I’m posting too many but you may see something you want in the photos.

At first glance this could be a very well run Op Shop but instead it is a bazaar filled with different stall holders. Down stairs there are pieces of the Scandinavian-style furniture that was so popular in the middle of last century and you can find smaller pieces of furniture hidden away behind a rack of vintage clothing and the collectibles.

Last time I was there I found myself wanting to collect those standard ash trays that stood beside your chair and you pushed a button on the top to whiz it around to take the ash and the butts into the bowl. I don’t smoke. It is a childhood memory from relative’s houses that attracts me. I loved pushing the button.

Stall holders tend to stay once they have secured some space. I believe there is a waiting list of over 100 would-be stall holders wanting a spot.

There’s a good turn-over with more stock arriving regularly and the Vintage clothes are wonderful but I’m not sure about the macramé wall hangings. Should they have been found or stayed lost?

Lost and Found Market 12 Smith Street Collingwood is open 7 days from 12 noon to 6pm. Phone 9419 4477

Take the 109 Tram and get off at the corner of Victoria Street and Smith Street it’s a few doors up on your right. Or the 86 or 95 Tram and get off on the corner of Gertrude and Smith Streets and walk down towards Victoria Street.

Edwardian Poster – one of the many on sale.

Chapel Street – They Funky End at Windsor

Melbourne — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:27:53 +0000

The funky end of Chapel Street – that is the end by the Windsor Station and Dandenong Road – is one of the first places in Melbourne that I explored. It was different from any place I’d seen and it is still different. Over the years places have come and gone and some have stayed the same.

You can buy designer clothes, designed by local designers. You can get fashionable shoes for huge feet at Rosenberg’s Shoes. You can prowl various op shops and you can buy second hand books from Syber’s Book Shop.

It was the cats I first feel in love with at Syber’s Book Shop, the books came later.

Syber’s Book Shop is a treasure trove of books including rare and out of print books. The wonderful thing is that they know what they have and where to find it. I wanted a book by the German writer H.H. Kirst. Often when I ask I get a blank stare. Not this time.

“Oh. Yes,” said Penny Sieber getting up from her desk and putting her hand on a book by Kirst.

The chairs at Syber’s Book Shop give an atmosphere to shop but you may have to compete with one of the three cats for the most comfortable one.

Syber’s Book Shop is a good place while away some time if you are into books and of course there are the cats to meet.

This is also the retro end of Chapel Street and even the Op Shops go in for presentation and stylish window dressing.

The best way to get to this funky end of Chapel Street is to take the Sandringham Line Train to Windsor Station. Come out of the Windsor Station and you are there.

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.