Prahran and its Opportunity Shops

Salvos

Purchasing a second-hand item in an opportunity shop is like drinking a good wine. A strange and perhaps not very appropriate analogy, you might say, but I have never found any other shopping experience to be as unique as this. Like the habit of wine consumption, it is an “acquired taste”, preferred by some but is never a universally accepted or favoured practice of all mankind.

Some approached it suspiciously and might be deterred from taking a second sip forever after sampling the harsh and sophisticated aftertaste of a glass of dry red wine. After all, you never know what you will be getting in a second-hand shop: the vintage dress you picked up will not have the industrial fragrance present in a brand-new piece of clothing, and the yellowish pages from the old books collection will never emanate any fresh appealing scent commonly found in unused books. Questions run through your mind like an unstoppable stream: are the products defective, hygienic, sub-standard, lacking in warranties? Who were the owners and what were the stories behind those eccentric bric-a-bracs sitting mysteriously on the display racks? 

But trust me, once you have gone passed the obstructive stage and got hooked to the addictive habit of frequenting opportunity shops, there will be no turning back. The shopping experience is always fun and unpredictable, infused with positive expectations and anticipations. It is a perfect adventure, an explorative quest, a discovery expedition of unknown gems and treasures. Most importantly, it is a pleasant journey knowing that for every item you purchased, the proceeds of which will end up in a good cause, be it to assist a homeless in need or to contribute to an emergency relief fund.

Prahran Red Cross 

Prahran is one of those affluent suburbs in the inner Melbourne where numerous charity shops can be found amidst the upscale fashion boutiques, stylish cafes, trendy pubs and rare delicatessens. If you are taking a stroll from the north of the fashionable Chapel Street, turn right at the junction into Commercial Road and you will reach your first opportunity shop: the Prahran Red Cross, sitting strategically across the famous Prahran Market. Cluttered in a not very big space is an assortment of chic and occasionally branded fashions, from designer platform pump, elegant clutch bag and leather sport shoes. Our delirious finds of the day include a Ralph Lauren baby romper, John Lewis newborn onesie, and an ErgoCocoon winter swaddle – all in good condition and sold at an unbelievable price of $3 each.

Prahran Mission store

Continue your journey down to the South of Chapel Street and you will soon arrive at the Mecca of opportunity shops, where several amazing second-hand stores colonized along the area near the High Street. You could first rummage through the huge wire basket placed outside the Prahran Mission store and pick your bargain books at $1 each, before stepping into the store and browse through those abstract paintings, glass utensils, and formal business shirts for men.

Salvos

  

If you fancy something swanky, the Salvos store down the road will be your ideal shopping place, where glamour, posh and relatively expensive price tags are just few of its characteristics that make this extremely spacious shop stands out from the rest. The groovy jazz music at the background and the careful display of items accentuate the classiness of the store. This is the place where you can find rare vinyl records, antique Victorian sofa, quality cookware and stylish female apparels.

Storehouse Charity Op-Shop

The Storehouse Charity Op-Shop with its bright orange signage is another excellent bargain centre where you can find excellent collection of DVD series amidst the junks and treasures of all kinds. The Sacred Heart Mission store located right opposite is a trove with a huge floor space containing numerous bizarre trinkets and homeware, furniture of varied styles and designs, and curated artworks.

  

Sacred Heart Mission store

Sacred Heart Mission store

Access from CBD:

Tram 8, 6 or 72

Location:

Along Chapel Street, Prahran

Markit @ Fed Square this Sunday (8 May 2016)

It was a feast of all things beautiful and unique. Cruising down the aisles of stalls and inhaling the sweetest artistic air, an unceasing wrestle began between the creative right hemisphere of the brain and its analytical left counterpart. Such was the struggle occurring twice a year when the Markit and its hundred curated designers made their presence at the Federation Square.

Think of the battle between the mysteriousness of a rock garden within a spherical glass terrarium versus the rather extravagant price that could have bought me at least three meals of beer-battered fish and chips in a city pub. The dainty white stoneware vase would have made a brilliant centerpiece in the dull living room, yet the practicality of such item and the prospect of dust accumulation in the near future made me cringed in annoyance. All girls love a distinctive piece of jewellery, and a pair of glittering ruby studs in miniature size would surely make some great but unassuming accessories for the coming winter. Yet the thought of adding an extra pair of earrings into the huge trinket collection at home made me paused in hesitation.

It was a chaotic war akin to a Game-of-Thrones scene: the fight between the indulging eyes, throbbing heart, fluttering stomach, screaming purse, calculative brain, and the practical mind. Yet we left the event each time with a contented heart, having thoroughly enjoyed viewing and admiring the originality and deftness of those delicately hand-made items produced by both emerging and established Australian designers.

The upcoming Markit on this Sunday (8 May 2016) is expected to be another grand fiesta celebrating the ingenuity of the local artists. A brief browse at the list of designers would have easily made all lovers of handcrafted arts smile in excitement. Fabric pouches in vintage design, classic boots with leather insole, ceramic stoneware painted with adorable cartoon artworks, water colour illustrations with food-inspired theme, lightweight natural linen dress, handmade infant’s shoes with soft leather lacing and padded sole, abstract landscape painting in a voluptuous of colours, tiny notebook made of recycled material and partly-cotton cover – these are just some of the many items that might make you falling in love head-to-toe this Sunday.

Date and Time:

8 May 2016, 10 am- 5pm

Website:

www.markitfedsquare.com.au

Location:

The Atrium and Deakin Edge Theatre, Federation Square, Melbourne

Free Admission

Manchester Unity Building – the mysterious legend

With its imposing modern Gothic-style turreted tower and a façade coated in moulded terra cotta faience of gold-brown lavishness, this gargantuan building prominently situated at the corner of Swanston and Collins Street possesses all the necessary elements to be a legend.

Its fancy pinnacles made it the tallest building in Melbourne in the 1930s. It had the first escalator in the state of Victoria. It was the most quickly constructed building in Australia, a title and accolade that it proudly held on to until 1980s. Each of the twelve floors was completed with astonishing speed within 7 to 10 days. Construction works continued day and night on round-the-clock eight-hour shifts during the Depression period, where labour was cheap and workers were desperate. What’s more, the building has its fair share of dark, mysterious history: an unsolved murder case in 1978 involving three jewelers being shot in head execution-style on Level 8 of the building.

The building was first bought and served as a new headquarters for the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), a friendly society motivated by benevolence and practical moral code, and embellished with secret passwords, hand signs, symbols, rites and ceremonies. The organization was set up at the time when a welfare state was non- existence; the protection and care for the members and their families became an essential aim which the IOOF has steadfastly upheld for decades. In 1993, the Manchester Unity merged with the Australian Natives’ Association, and formed the national healthcare giant Australian Unity.

Dr Kia Pajouhesh, the founder and managing director of Smile Solutions dentistry clinic is now the major custodian of the building, occupying levels 1, 10, 11 and 12 and the tower. When the various floors were first acquired by the dentist, the building was in a state of dilapidation. Extensive restorative works were carried out to reinvigorate the previous glory of this legendary masterpiece.

Today, the Manchester Unity Building remains one of those iconic buildings impossible to be missed in the Melbourne city central. The gorgeous exterior impresses both visitors and local Melbournians alike. People are eager to take a peep at the long-heard beauty of the interior: the glamorous boardroom with its custom-built table topped by a single piece of glass, the rooftop terrace and its exotic garden and aviary, the intricately crafted ceilings and the extravagant use of marbles. In fact, the fascination is so strong that many are willing to pay the rather upscale price for a meal and exclusive guided tour combo to personally experience the grandeur and inhale the splendor of its exquisite interior. 

Location:

Corner of Swanston and Collins Streets

Orchestra Victoria- the Five at 5 concerts

We would have remembered the name of the soprano singer, and probably shed a tear or two when she reached the unnaturally high octave during the moving scene of bidding farewell to her dying lover. But high chance is, we wouldn’t have noticed that cellist seated beneath the stage, who struck the most perfect melody during the entire 3 hours of the opera session.

You might have felt your heart throbbing in excitement when the graceful ballerina did the most stunning Grand Jete split in the air, and would have given those amazing dancers a standing ovation by the end of the extraordinary show. But huge chance is, you wouldn’t have taken a careful glance at the flutist that blew the most emotional piece of music accompanying the touching pirouette during the ballet performance.

They are the invisible hands, the out-of-view musicians that produce the loveliest renditions for the Australian Ballet, Opera Australia, Victorian Opera and The Production Company. First established in year 1969, the Orchestra Victoria has come a long way, having changed its name thrice, and has its ownership transferred from one entity to another before settling down as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Australian Ballet in 2014.

The orchestra has had its fair share of financial crisis (an unsurprising phenomenon besieging many artistic organizations in the world). The orchestra was nearly at the stage of insolvency just few years back. After all, it is an expensive project to fund the operational costs of a successful music body: a few million dollars per year is the bare minimum costs to keep an orchestra up and running. To supply reed and maintain a clarinet, a total of $68 per month is needed; a music stand costs $210 per piece, and a pair of custom-made moulded earplugs costs a staggering price of $380. 

“Five at 5” is a series of five concerts with free admission held on five Saturdays at 5pm throughout 2016. We attended the third session recently on 23 April 2016. It was a beautiful one-hour performance with a rare focus on the woodwind instruments.

The flute, oboe, cor anglais (English horn), clarinet and bassoon belong to one of the humblest instrument families in an orchestra. Unlike the string instruments, the woodwind family would have to put up quite a struggle to create similar flamboyant and intensive range of tones as the violin. They are never the loudest, highest sounding, or the most prominent instruments in the musical family.

The harmonies produced by the woodwind family are soothing and pacifying. We listened attentively to the warm conversations between two calming baritones from the bassoons, started with the joyous and positive Allegro by Francisco Mignone, followed by his equally playful and rapid duet of Rondo-Chorinho with a sudden change of mood in the mid. The deep and mellow dialogues of the two clarinets in the Sonata by Francis Poulenc were mesmerizing; the first movement of Presto was mysterious, the second movement of Andante was hypnotic but somewhat gloomy, and the last movement of Vif brought unexpected agility to the somber atmosphere.

The Ecstatic Dances for Two Flutes was a long conversation between two nocturnal animals in the quiet forest, telling their life stories in the darkness. The compositions by Eugene Bozza are a harmonious choir of flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. The audience was brought into a roller coaster of emotions: from slow and moody, dynamic and fun, to solemn and blue.

The woodwind concert performed by the Orchestra Victoria was an enthralling musical experience, alluring and reaching to the deepest of feelings.

Upcoming Five at 5 Performances:

6 August 2016, brass ensemble (venue yet to be confirmed)

19 November 2016 (at Orchestra Victoria studio in Albert Park)

Free Admission