Random Photos

Excuse us for the random photos, but it's all part of a bigger picture...that is changes to our website/online store which is happening as we speak. Most of the work is being done by myself & my partner who works in IT (hooray for that!)

These photos may be used for our  home page.

And will change from time to time as we change our homepage.

Our Facebook page photo

A week or two ago a photographer came and took a few photos of our shop. This one is one our Facebook page.

Truthful Tuesday - Beat them or join them?

Hand made  Steam punk necklace by artisan Melissa Glenwright

Sometimes I think it would be easier to purchase reproduction vintage & cheap home wares for my store for the simple reason it would attract a larger demographic & translate into increased sales. Vintage clothes, vintage home wares, sustainable & artisan made goods are currently a niche market.

Reproduction goods are cheaper, come in a range of colours & sizes if they are clothes and as a result appeal to a larger audience.

In contrast, sustainable fashion & artisan made goods are more expensive due to the type of production and materials used therefor it's purchasing attractiveness is reduced.

It's my belief the general public want to purchase sustainable & artisan goods, but can't as money needs to be spend in other areas, such as paying off a mortgage, rent & credit cards. So as retailer I am faced with a dilemma. Mass produced or Sustainable?

Admittedly, I have given this a lot of thought recently and have concluded I need to retain my personal stance on sustainability & support local & international small business. However, a small percentage of what I sell will be commerically produced for example, hand creams.

I'd like to know your honest opinion on this issue and invite you to comment on our Facebook page .

Vintage dress of the week!

 Today's dress of the week is a 1960's flattering A-line dress with princess lines.

A line dresses can be flattering on a variety of shapes and can be cool for summer in the right fabric.

Measurements

Shoulders 42cm

Bust 43cm

Waist 42cm

Hips free

Length 97cm

Price: $85.00

Purchases can be pick up at our shop at SO:ME Space, South Melbourne Market or delivered for free if you live within 10km of our store. Please contact us for delivery fees should you live outside the 10km free delivery area.

To purchase click here, or on the photos above.

Dress of the week!

Today is Saturday, but beginning from Mondays we'll be showcasing a vintage frock from our stock at Bleecker Street Vintage. The frock will also be reposted on our Facebook page for customers who prefer Facebook to communicate.

This amazing frock is from the 1960's and is sky blue with a scalloped neckline.

Made for specials occasions or to wear everyday because you like to be noticed.

Measurements

Shoulders 43cm

Bust 39cm

Waist 32cm

Hips free

Length 103cm

Price $125.00

Purchases can be pick up at our shop at SO:ME Space, South Melbourne Market or delivered for free if you live within 10km of our store. Please contact us for delivery fees should you live outside the 10km free delivery area.

Click here to purchase or on any photo.

By Jason Cormick

Vintage Movie - Giant

Source: hotparade.tumblr.com via Nick on Pinterest

A few months ago I watched the 1956 movie 'Giant'. I expected it to be a wholesome movie full of lovely manners, 'proper behaviour' and great clothes.

I was really surprised when I found the movie was ahead of it's time in terms of the boundaries it pushed.

The movie dealt with class struggle, racism and my favourite, interracial marriage. 

Since I wasn't born in that time, I wondered what the public thought of such a progressive movie and the issues it covered.

Have you seen'Giant'? Perhaps you should use an afternoon during Christmas vacation to watch it?

Photo Shoot

On Monday Bleecker Street Vintage had a photo shoot!

I was unable to secure a photographer, so I did the shoot myself.

The photos were taken for the online store and for practice.

The two Models, Jesykah & Cherry were amazing to work with. We all had TONS of fun!

Thanks ladies!

Truthful Tuesday - The Intern

Source: my-retrospace.blogspot.com via Betty on Pinterest

When a business is in its early stages (like Bleecker Street Vintage) every single cent earned goes back into the business. Of course if you have wealthy parents who are happy to support you, then money is not a problem. 

This is not the case for Bleecker Street Vintage. At this early stage it's important to watch where the money goes because it's easy to go broke quickly. As a result, we can't afford to pay anyone YET. In fact, I am not even paying myself.

We have had our little shop at SO:ME Space South Melbourne Market for 8 weeks now & we also have an online store which has the odd sale or two which is always a nice surprise.

Now it's time to increase our online presence, but we are not sure how. We, by the way is my husband...(we got married in New York last year where it's legal. Hooray!)

Yes I can blog, & Facebook myself, but I need a few tips. I also have other ideas for our little business, so I need assistance with it. This is where an intern comes in.

Being an intern has many advantages. (I have done it myself) If you're fresh out of uni, it's a chance to apply everything you have learned at uni, get experience then GET that dream job. And if you're like me, the business owner would be very grateful for the help and would be a great reference for  a future job.  It would be even cooler if the intern position actually turned into a paid position. (I know a lot of uni graduates who have been employed this way.)

There are a lot of people out there who don't like the idea of businesses using interns. And I agree with the opinion of big businesses taking advantage of interns. Bleecker Street Vintage is not a big business. We are small & have limited funds. It's for this reason we need an intern, have advertised for one and will be hiring one soon.

I'd like to know your feelings about interns. Please leave a comment below if you'd like to contribute. NOTE: Abusive comments will be deleted.

Hats & Walls

Source: downandoutchic.blogspot.com via Donna on Pinterest

This post is a bit late, but I just remembered so please forgive me. A few weeks back a lady came into Bleecker Street Vintage & purchased nearly all of my vintage hats. 


Curious as to what she was going to  use them for I asked for what her plans were for them. She told me she collects hats & puts them on her walls! So if you have boxes of hats and don't know what to do, try putting them on your wall.

Source: beskrivningar.capitex.se via Lisa on Pinterest

Truthful Tuesday - Listen to your customers

Source: lovemydress.net via Susan on Pinterest

Every Tuesday...at least for a while will be Truthful Tuesday! On this day we'll be writing about things that are going on behind the business to give our customers/readers an insight on what we're doing!

Let's begin!

Our little shop has been open for seven weeks now and we have been enjoying the ride! Now when I say we, I mean myself & my partner who handles the business side of things.  Since I work in the store, I get to chat to our customers and what sweet customers they are!

You see, customers want you to succeed. That's why they come to your store & purchase from you! They like what you have & they probably like you and your staff. They want to keep coming back and that is why it's important to listen to them. And if you're lucky they may even give you a business tip or two!

That's what we do here at Bleecker Street Vintage. Apart from dam fine customer service, we listen to customer suggestions. It may be little suggestions such as putting more photos on Instagram or advice such as sourcing vintage frocks with sleeves. Whatever it is we take it on board, think about what the customer said and consider using it. Frocks with sleeves is one of those suggestions we are trying to execute right now.

So to small business owners, listen to your customers because they want to help you succeed!

Free postage for online purchases till Christmas!!!

Now you know why we are seeing SPOTS. We're giving free postage for customers in Australia till Christmas at Bleecker Street Vintage.... We also wanted to put spots in our store anyway!

We are seeing spots at Bleecker Street Vintage

Colourful canvas tote bags in store at Bleecker street Vintage

We're happy announce colourful canvas tote bags have finally arrived just in time for Christmas.  We only have a limited amount of these bags (which are also on sale online BTW), so please get in quick to grab one!

Rustic french bread boards

Just in today are rustic french bread boards! We have lovingly  given each board a light sanding & have rubbed in olive oil to protect them. Ready for use in your kitchen or for serving light snacks when entertaining.

Source: atelierdecampagne.webs.com via Jason on Pinterest

French goods for the home or for a gift

Enamel french wash tub

Vintage wooden sled. Circa 1900

Enamel french storage container

Woven handbag

Large vintage sled. Circa 1900

Come in and look at our lovely wares or purchase online and receive 20% off.

Pasta with tuscan cabbage

This recipe was shared by a customer & is DELICIOUS! The original recipe is without slivered almonds and mushrooms, so think of those as optional when making this dish.

Ingredients

• Half a bunch tuscan cabbage washed & roughly chopped
• Pasta of your choice
• 1 cup button mushrooms

• 3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 3 or 4 anchovies, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon butter 
• Olive oil
• Extra olive oil ...just in case...

Method

1. Boil water for pasta. Add salt & olive oil to prevent pasta from clinging together.

2. When pasta is half way through cooking begin making 'tuscan sauce'

3. Heat a frying pan on a medium heat, then add butter & oil. Add garlic when butter has melted or oil has warmed through. When garlic begins to brown add mushrooms and cook until brown. At this stage you may need to add more oil

4. Toss in almonds and cook until slightly browned. Immediately after this add tuscan cabbage and anchovies. Mix in tuscan cabbage with other ingredients until wilted.

5. Drain pasta, then mix pasta & tuscan sauce together and serve immediately.

* I found parmesan cheese wasn't necessary as the dish has many strong flavours.

** Play around with this dish, adding more or less of each ingredient to YOUR taste.

Re-Wired Jewellery at Bleecker Street Vintage

At Bleecker Street Vintage, we are lucky to have the jewellery label, Re-Wired exclusive to our store.

Re-wired specialise in resin jewellery, but with a twist. Using old circuit boards and pieces of old technology they create beautiful necklaces, bangles, brooches & belts.

Re-wired have recently launched their 'steampunk' range which is available at Bleecker Street Vintage & will be on our online store very soon.

Recycle & Reuse. How much would you pay?

At Bleecker Street Vintage we're all about recycling, reuse & re-fashioning. We sell not only special vintage pieces, but re-worked vintage too.  

Em, who is a fellow student at pattern-making school, made this dress out of men's denim jeans for her final year project. It looks amazing and has taken hours to make. It's also something that could sell well in a shop.

Sadly, it will be to expensive to sell as Topshop, Zara and H&M has given the public a perception that style is cheap.

Therefor, given it takes a long time to produce a dress that is made locally. How much would YOU be prepared to pay for one?

How to get to Bleecker Street Vintage @ SO:ME Space South Melbourne Market

Getting to Bleecker Street Vintage from the city is easy peasy! Firstly, catch the 96 train from Bourke Street Mall

After a few stops, get off at South Melbourne also know as stop 127.

Walk up the stairs...

and go straight along the street.

Walk past the car park entrance...

and pick up some yummy sourdough bread.

Turn left when you see Fruits on Coventry...

and walk down between the fruit shops and past the florist.

 Look out for the sign on the ceiling pointing to SO:ME Space.

Then, turn right and walk straight up! You'll see our Bleecker Street Vintage sign and our smiling faces!

You can find us open on market days which are Wednesdays 8am - 4pm, Fridays 8am - 5pm, Saturdays 8am - 5pm & Sundays 8am - 5pm