Joanne O'Callaghan has only lived in Melbourne for 18 months but
she's already sussed out the op shop scene and wants to share her
discoveries with the inhabitants of her new home town.
Ms O'Callaghan is running op shop bus tours as part of the The
Age 2008 Melbourne Fringe Festival, which runs from September 24 to
October 12.
They will follow a successful formula she devised for the
Adelaide Fringe Festival earlier this year and which resulted in
sold-out tours.
"We have a lot of on bus action which includes quizes, party
games and who can find the best tie for the bus driver," she
said.
"My approach to the op shop tours is a celebration of op
shopping. It is a sharing of secrets and fashion."
Ms O'Callaghan's love for op-shopping started from a very young
age but really took off when she was based in country Victoria for
study.
A lover of fashion, she only had two department stores and
boutiques for older women to shop in, so trawled the offerings of
the local op shops for unique pieces as well as inspiration.
The strangest thing she has ever come across on the shelves is a
used mouse trap and the oddest thing she has purchased is a 1960s
bingo set.
"I would say that 80 per cent of my wardrobe is currently from
op shops," she said.
"I like the variety and inspiration. I am a bit of a sewer
myself and I think there is so much inspiration you can find from
the many decades of fashion rather than just 2008."
She said op shops had changed significantly over the years with
some of the bigger ones now employing merchandising staff whose
efforts made them more accessible for people.
"I think they have got better, I think they have got more
expensive but with the expense has come a more sophisticated
outlook on the goods they are selling," she said.
"The merchandising is better, like in the Salvos they now have
teams of people working to make things look as attractive as
possible rather than the old dive and grab.
"That personally is my favourite and I cherish the places that
are run by volunteers, they smell like mothballs and you have to
rummage through everything."
The tours will run on September 27 and October 1, 4, 8 and 11.
The first three tours have already sold out.
Participants are encouraged to bring along some of their own
unwanted clothes to donate along the way.
"I think it is really important to remember the circle of
clothing," she said.
"It is really good to keep the circle moving rather than people
throwing stuff in the bin."
The tours run from 10.30am to 2.30pm and depart from the
Fringe Hub in North Melbourne Town Hall. Tickets cost $25 or $22
for concession. Bookings: 03 9660 9666
Joanne's favourite Melbourne op shops
The Salvos Stores, 81 Victoria Street, Abbotsford
Cheltenham Opportunity Shop and the Animal Welfare Op Shop,
Station Road, Cheltenham
Northern Community Church of Christ Op Shop, 81 High Street,
Preston
From further afield
The Light Lounge, corner of Dana and Lydiard streets, Ballarat,
Victoria
Goodwill, 97 Hindley Street, Adelaide, South Australia
Sarah McInerney