Day Trip to Castlemaine!

It may have been raining in Melbourne on Thursday, but I was having a nice time with my friend Catherine (and her two children), who owns Audrey Scarlett Vintage, on a day trip to Castlemaine.

I must confess though, when I was at a Bakery in Carlton buying an amazing spinach pie AND it was raining, I wondered if it would be raining in Castlemaine too.

Luck was on our side that day as the sun was SHINING!! Catherine brought along a super delicious pie made from slow cooked roast lamb & vegetables, and I brought scones which I had made fresh that morning.

After lunch we caught up with Jane & Kaz who own Vintage & etc and Leah & Jess who run Bells Belles vintage & cafe...all located in Castlemaine. I also spent some time romanticising about living in Castlemaine ;-)

So that was our lovely day in Castlemaine! You should go there now that it is autumn & head to Daylesford as well so you can view the beautiful autumn leaves there.

Kantha Scarves @ Bleecker.com.au

You've seen the quilts and the pillows, so now's it's time for the kantha scarves available @ bleecker.com.au.

We've been lucky to have a lovely store holder model them for us.

What's great about these scarves is that they can be wrapped around your body when it's windy (and if you live in Melbourne, then you know what I mean) :-) or used as a long scarf around your neck.

These kantha scarves can also be used as throws, table cloths or to wrap baby in when going out.

Source: fuckyeahvintage-retro.tumblr.com via Saralynn on Pinterest

Analysing traffic flow is vital for small retail owners.  If an owner is able to have a large space as their first store, then it's possible to influence traffic flow. More information about traffic flow models can be read here.

The best example I know of this is at Melbourne International Airport, Australia.  After passing through customs, passengers are required to walk past a multitude of stores which snakes around to reach the boarding lounges.

If the owner has a small store like Bleecker Street Vintage, then careful consideration must be made when placing product, as traffic flow can influence it's position in the store.

Source: catherinecouturier.com via Chere on Pinterest

Since Bleecker Street Vintage (& Home wares) has been open for five months now, I have a good idea of traffic flow in my store and have made alterations accordingly.

For example, I noticed customers seemed to gravitate to the first rack on the right hand side of the store, then if interest was maintained customers would look at the racks on the other side of the store.

As of this week, to encourage customers to look at all clothing racks I will be introducing knits and placing them on the least popular side of the store. 

If you have a store, do you look at customer traffic flow. Or if you are a customer, what encourages you to explore a store further?

Florence Broadhurst - Australian Textile Designer

Source: vintagefabrics.blogspot.com via Tabitha on Pinterest

I was busily looking through Australian Home Journal on pinterest this week for a blog post when I discovered the late Australian Textile designer Florence Broadhurst.  I realise that I am one of the latecomers to find out about Florence & I'm okay about it!

Source: katespade.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Upon further 'pin surfing' or whatever it's called I found a pinner who has a board devoted to Florence & her designs which are still used today and are sources of inspiration for designers such as Marc Jacobs & Akira Isogawa.

Australian Home Journal

A few weeks back, my pattern making teacher introduced us to Australian Home Journal. The journal, which is no longer in print has been going since the 1900's and was for the purpose of making clothes from patterns that accompanied the journal.

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Ludiko on Pinterest

Back in the day, it was normal to make one's own clothes from quality fabrics which would last and could be altered as trends in hemlines changed.

Source: fashion-era.com via Karma on Pinterest

The book would come with illustrations and later with photos as technology changed.


Today, copies of Australian Home Journal can be found at op-shops or online. If you are lucky like my pattern making teacher, then you may be able to acquire some in mint condition.