6/2/11
Labels:
Bargains
,
Bricks-and-mortar stores
,
Internet shopping
,
Online retail
,
Secondhand goods
While I’m a fan of small business retailers, I don’t normally use this blog to promote individual businesses - that’s not its aim. But when I stumbled upon Second Edition bookstore recently I was so impressed by the stylish fit-out and store concept that I had to include a plug in this blog.
Second Edition is a secondhand bookstore run by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, a Melbourne-based organisation that combats poverty through research; advocacy; and hands-on, innovative programs.
The store, at the quieter end of a well-established shopping strip in whitebread suburban Malvern, boasts a cafe selling Fairtrade coffee, loads of great books, vinyl records and magazines, iMacs on which to check out the associated online bookstore, and a sublime, retro-stroke-nerdy- atmosphere that Gen Ys should flock to.
Wooden display shelves creating a bold, assymetrical pattern perch high above a groovy round table smack in the centre, anchored by slats rather than conventional legs. Behind that you’ll find a comfy seventies lounge suite on which to lounge as you sample the merchandise. The seductive smell of freshly brewed coffee wafts through the air.
This store could become something of an oasis for those who feel a little out of place among the area’s conservative baby boomers and the hundreds of younger, four-wheel-drive-owning families who perhaps once aspired and have now reached their aspirations. And I'd hope that some of the older and cooler of the private school kids who stream down Glenferrie Road at around 4 pm on weekdays might adopt it as their own.
Not only is this groovy place raising money for the work of the good old BSL, but it offers traineeships in retail and hospitality. They’re also looking for volunteers.
So please, if you live in Melbourne, pop in and check it out. And if you don’t, consider buying from the online bookstore.
Second Edition is at 215 Glenferrie Rd Malvern. The opening hours are Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 10 am to 5 pm.
Disclaimer: In a previous lifetime I worked for the BSL as information officer. So sue me!
Groovy Secondhand Bookshop with a Conscience
While I’m a fan of small business retailers, I don’t normally use this blog to promote individual businesses - that’s not its aim. But when I stumbled upon Second Edition bookstore recently I was so impressed by the stylish fit-out and store concept that I had to include a plug in this blog.
Second Edition is a secondhand bookstore run by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, a Melbourne-based organisation that combats poverty through research; advocacy; and hands-on, innovative programs.
The store, at the quieter end of a well-established shopping strip in whitebread suburban Malvern, boasts a cafe selling Fairtrade coffee, loads of great books, vinyl records and magazines, iMacs on which to check out the associated online bookstore, and a sublime, retro-stroke-nerdy- atmosphere that Gen Ys should flock to.
Wooden display shelves creating a bold, assymetrical pattern perch high above a groovy round table smack in the centre, anchored by slats rather than conventional legs. Behind that you’ll find a comfy seventies lounge suite on which to lounge as you sample the merchandise. The seductive smell of freshly brewed coffee wafts through the air.
This store could become something of an oasis for those who feel a little out of place among the area’s conservative baby boomers and the hundreds of younger, four-wheel-drive-owning families who perhaps once aspired and have now reached their aspirations. And I'd hope that some of the older and cooler of the private school kids who stream down Glenferrie Road at around 4 pm on weekdays might adopt it as their own.
Not only is this groovy place raising money for the work of the good old BSL, but it offers traineeships in retail and hospitality. They’re also looking for volunteers.
So please, if you live in Melbourne, pop in and check it out. And if you don’t, consider buying from the online bookstore.
Second Edition is at 215 Glenferrie Rd Malvern. The opening hours are Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 10 am to 5 pm.
Disclaimer: In a previous lifetime I worked for the BSL as information officer. So sue me!
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