Back when I was 16, my skateboard was the bees knees. Now that I am 26, the novelty has worn off.
Inspired by the recent
I Used to Skate Once skate/art/fashion/music expose, I decided to dust the cobwebs of my skatie and send to a good home via my good friend Mr Ebay. With $110.50 (plus postage!) now in my pocket, I am ready to splurge.
The aforementioned event was conducted by one of Brizzy's favourite indie retailers,
The Outpost, so what better place to re-invest my coin. The Outpost store itself is quite Melbourne-esque. It's positioned in narrow laneway, the luminescence of a small green ornamental pine on the footpath is all that is needed to draw attention to the narrow shopfront.
Inside, a warm glow awaits the inquisitive passerby who is game enough, or should I say blessed enough, to stick their head in. A smorgasboard of tasty goodies awaits, including vinyl toys, skate decks, old-school cameras, jewellery, hoodies, tees, and a bundle of underground publications.
I’ve been after a fisheye cam for ages, so I bag one of the Demekin mini’s for $55. Those of you with a sweet tooth will drool over the Q-Pot rings from Japan. They're highly realistic, wearable chunks of confection – with icecream, macaroons and little choccies that seriously look good enough to eat. I select a ring adorned with a synethic scoop of strawberry shortcake icecream, as I reckon that will be $49 well-spent in keeping my lady friend happy. With my leftover change, at 6 bucks, I can’t go past a limited edition hand-made mag by Aussie artist Martin Bell.
Next time I’ve got a few dimes spare I’ll definitely be heading straight to The Outpost’s T-shirt rack, with some sweet designs by Stefan Marx and Alakazam demanding my inner-skater attention.
It seems the Outpost crew also have a penchant for old-school bicycles, as I noticed a radical vintage 10-speed racer leaned against the wall outside being ogled by a few locals. Hmmm, maybe I should go home and whack the old BMX up for eBay some auctioning action next?
The Outpost
5a Winn Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Phone 07 3666 0306