Are You a Retailer’s Wet Dream, too?

Tags

Abigail Ahern, Business, Customer service, Facebook, J. C. Penney, Mavericks Laces, Myer, Peanut butter, Retail, Squint, Squint Limited, Stellar Service, Twitter

(Image from here)

Every great business is built on friendship. (JC Penney)

I am a retailer’s wet dream. You know the kind of customer I mean – I like nice things (who doesn’t?). If you are nice to me and I’m partial to your product, I’ll come back to you over and over again. I’m incredibly loyal – if you treat me well, I will go out of my way to shop at your establishment AND I’ll tell all my friends how fabulous you and your product are. And, I can be quite persuasive, too. I’m often told I should be on commission. I often wish I was!

My local grocer, George, stocks product that I have recommended (and featured in this very blog!), namely Pana Chocolate and Pic’s Really Good Peanut Butter. The girls at Mecca Cosmetica at Myer all know me because I love their whole customer service experience just as much as their products.

Just recently, I’ve had two really, REALLY great customer service experiences and thought I should spread the word.

First up, last week I told you about the groovy team at Mavericks Laces in Melbourne. Well! Not only did the lovely Luke from Mavericks comment on the blog post and advise they are now shipping internationally; today my laces arrived. Given I only ordered them after I posted last week, I reckon that’s pretty smart service.

Oh – here’s the new look brogues ‘in situ’. What do you think?

Robert Clergerie Brogue WITH Dylan Laces
(Image by TSL)

Secondly, you might just recall, if you have a very good memory, my post on Squint – the Willy Wonka of Furniture. I have coveted a piece of their furniture forever.

The Corbiere carved mahogany king size bed made in a classic French style as shown with a patchworked headboard and footboard.
(Image from here)

To be honest, I would probably still be coveting a piece of Squint furniture if it wasn’t for LM. My birthday present last year was a bespoke number selected from the wonderful Squint showroom. As much as I adore their trademark patchwork, being the slightly more conservative type that I am, I went instead for a velvet cabriolet leg bedside table in two-tone orange velvet. I know this is a pretty high-ticket item, but I gotta tell you, Catherine and the team were out of this world fabulous – from the initial face-to-face consultations as I kept changing my boggled mind about what I wanted, right through to the shipping process. A-MAZ-ING!

Here’s a pretty ordinary image of some of my table with Boris, my lamp I picked up at Atelier Abigail Ahern. What can I say – it was a great birthday!

Boris and the Orange Velvet Side Table
(Image by TSL)

In today’s world of social media offerings – with blogging, Facebook, Twitter and all the rest, there’s really no excuse for less than stellar service. But still, there are always some that stand a head and shoulders above the rest.

Have you received any AMAZING customer service recently?

Chase and Wonder Screenprints are Just Lovely

Tags

Art, Cats, Christmas, Christmas Gifts, Design, Dogs, England, Graphic Design, London, Printing, Retail, Screen printing, Shopping, Silly season, Worcestershire

We are officially in the run up to the silly season now. I’m hearing on the news here in Oz that retailers are expecting online sales to be up for the Christmas buying rush. So, with that in mind, today’s wee offering comes to you from the deliciously quirky duo at Chase and Wonder – all delivered to your door at the touch of a few keyboard strokes, wherever you may be…

Dandy Lion by Chase and Wonder
Limited edition of 400
2 colour Screenprint
Paper size – 210mm(w) x 300mm(h)
(Image from Chase and Wonder)

Faye Pearce and David Aspinall founded Chase and Wonder in late 2010 with the simple aim of creating finely designed products with British personality. They design and print all of their products in their converted cow shed in rural Worcestershire.

It also sounds as though they might just be soul-mates, given they met at primary school and reconnected in their early twenties while in London. That just makes me like their lovely screen prints even more (what can I say – I’m feeling the love today!)

Anyhoo, these lovelies have quite a reasonable price-point for the silly season – and are especially great as potential gifts for those hard-to-buy for boys in your life…

Sophisticated Dog by Chase and Wonder
Limited edition of 400
2 colour Screenprint
Paper size – 210mm(w) x 300mm(h)
(Image from Chase and Wonder)

Manners Maketh the Man by Chase and Wonder
Limited edition of 400
2 colour Screenprint
Paper size – 210mm(w) x 300mm(h)
(Image from Chase and Wonder)

Sophisticated Cat by Chase and Wonder
Limited edition of 400
2 colour Screenprint
Paper size – 210mm(w) x 300mm(h)
(Image from Chase and Wonder)

Chase and Wonder have lots more to see at their store. You can check it out here.

Destination Victor Churchill – Meat-lover’s Paradise…

Tags

Butcher, Charcuterie, Cooking, Design, food, Meat, Nat King Cole, Peter Gilmore, Protein, Retail, Sydney, Travel, Victor Churchill

Victor Churchill Shop Front
(Image from here)

Primarily I’m a meat man, although once in a while I toy with a few vegetables. (Nat King Cole)

If you ask LM what he’d like to do on a lazy Sunday, he will suggest a visit to Victor Churchill’s. It’s his happy place.

When my father comes to visit from New Zealand, he considers Victor Churchill a favourite destination. We bought him a full-day Charcuterie course for Christmas last year. He was not disappointed (and we dined extremely well on his confit of duck).

Peter Gilmore, Executive Chef of Quay restaurant – which currently sits at number 29 in the San Pelligrino top 50 – says it’s his favourite food shop anywhere in the world. If its good enough for Peter, I reckon it’s worth a blog post…

The original Victor Churchill’s was established in 1876. Father and son team, Victor and Anthony Puharich, founders of the highly regarded Vic’s Premium Quality Meats, are the fourth owners of the butcher shop in its 136 year history.

Inside, it is a shrine to protein and has literally changed the way people look at butcheries. It’s got major bells and whistles in the form of a Himalayan salt-brick wall and the kind of visual merchandising you would more likely associate with high-end fashion (in fact it has been dubbed the Tiffany’s of butcher shops) but it more than backs up with a superb meat and poultry.

If you consider yourself a meat-lover or a foodie, or you just love great design, this is one spot to add to the list when you visit Sydney…

Victor Churchill Shop Interior
(Image from here)

Victor Churchill Himalayan Rock Salt Wall
(Image from here)

Victor Churchill Rotisserie
(Image from here)

Victor Churchill – the product!
(Image from here)

We have some good friends visiting from Auckland next weekend. I have suggested to them we might plan a visit to Victor Churchill on Saturday so they can hand-select their protein of choice for the barbecue that evening…

Victor Churchill can be found at 132 Queen Street, Woollahra. The shop is open 7 days AND if you happen to live is a selected part of Sydney, they deliver. For those of you who just want a squizz at the fabulousness that is Victor Churchill, check out their website here.

I really want to go to Deyrolle…

Tags

culture, Curiosities, Design, Deyrolle, Eddie Izzard, Entomology, France, Paris, Retail, Shopping, Taxidermy

Deyrolle Shop Front
(Image sourced from here)

Picasso, he should have been a taxidermist!

“I’ve done your dog. It’s got nine eyes down the side, I made his head all square, 15 legs. What do you think of that?”

“Fido looks a bit weird”. Eddie Izzard

I’m going to Paris. I’M GOING TO PARIS!!! In September. Yeah, baby!

So, in addition to soaking up all the sights and sounds and tastes and smells, what I really want to do is visit Deyrolle.

Animaux naturalisés – Taxidermie – Deyrolle
(images from Deyrolle)

According to Vanity Fair’s ‘Animal House’ article, “Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle, a renowned entomologist, founded his taxidermy business in 1831. He passed on the store and his passion for the natural sciences to his son Achille, who became famous for mounting a Ceylonese elephant. (For reasons that are not hard to imagine, pachyderm taxidermy is among the most difficult and intricate kinds.) Achille’s son Émile moved Deyrolle to its fabled premises, at 46 Rue du Bac, in 1888. By then, the enterprise included not only taxidermy but also scientific equipment and furniture, along with printing and publishing, and employed more than 300 people. The Deyrolles were especially famous for their educational posters, which were translated into numerous languages and sold throughout the world. Deyrolle continued as a family business until 1978, when it was sold and fell into a period of slow decline.”

Entomologie, vente d’insectes et de papillons – Deyrolle
(images from Deyrolle)

Le cabinet de curiosités Deyrolle
(images from Deyrolle)

Planche pedagogique ancienne – Deyrolle
(images from Deyrolle)

“Then Prince Louis Albert de Broglie took charge. Among Parisians, who regard the shop as their own and who are, by definition, opposed to change, there were the usual nervous mutterings. No one expected Louis Albert to bring Deyrolle back to its former glory—or more. But that is exactly what he did. He completely overhauled the establishment, refurbishing the ground floor, removing all the small offices on the second, and bringing the wood paneling back to its original 18th-century condition. Meanwhile, he immersed himself in the far-flung affairs of Deyrolle, convincing collectors and suppliers alike of his serious commitment to entomology and taxidermy. In time, the great collections were restored to their haunting magnificence.”

Doesn’t it just make you itch to visit?

Deyrolle can be found at 46 Rue du Bac, 75007 Paris. The photographs are incredible but I, for one, can’t wait to see it in person!

Market Street: Textures in Architectural Design

Tags

Architecture, Art, Australia, Dani Marti, Design, Exterior, Fashion, John Wardle Architects, Miu Miu, Pitt Street Mall, Prada, Retail, Shopping, Sydney, Texture, Westfield

Something a little different for you today – a wee taste of a small part of central Syders!

Central Sydney – Aerial View
(Image © Where Magazines Australia)

I guess the shopping heart of Sydney has got to be Pitt Street Mall, situated bang smack in the middle of the city (give or take!). For the past few years Pitt Street has been on the receiving end of a m a s s i v e renovation, care of the cashed up folk at Westfield. It has been a major undertaking, and I gotta’ say some of the changes are fab’.

En route to meeting a friend for lunch yesterday, and I was struck by some of the textural design features on Market Street…

First up, the façade to 100 Market Street. John Wardle Architects was the firm responsible for the external façade of the retail centre and they were inspired by the idea of stitching – not only in a fashion sense, but also metaphorically in terms of the building stitching this precinct together. The wall itself was created by Dani Marti. The awning is a fine stainless steel thread that weaves through the awning, through an eyelet, back up the façade and back down. The pattern on the facade’s glass is a rush called Lomandra multiflora, which is an indigenous grass in the Sydney area used by the local Aboriginal people for weaving baskets.

100 Market Street – Rope Wall by Dani Marti
(Image by TSL)

100 Market Street – ‘Lomandra Multiflora’ Patterned Glass Facade
(Image by TSL)

100 Market Street
(Image by TSL)

Right next door, Prada‘s flagship Miu Miu store in Sydney. This amazing retail shop  consists of a completely illuminated façade. I understand Prada has built these facades all over the world. No matter – this is impressive! Just love the colour!

Close Up of the Miu Miu Sydney Store Illuminated Facade
(Image by TSL)

Miu Miu Store – Market Street, Sydney
(Image by TSL)

Miu Miu Store Illuminated Facade – Market Street, Sydney
(Image by TSL)

Not a bad place to be, my adopted city…

Have a great weekend in your corner of the world!

I Want To Go To Dover Street Market…

Tags

Clothing, Colour, Comme des Garçons, Crochet, Design, Dover Street Market, DSM, Haberdashery, London, Rei KAWAKUBO, Retail, Shopping, Tokyo

Dover Street Market Shop Front
25 Years of Comme des Garçon Shirts
Image sourced from Dover Street Market

When I was perhaps 18 or 19 years old I splashed out on my first piece of Comme des Garçon clothing. Looking back, it was a ridiculously expensive purchase for a university student. It was an over-sized mens shirt. I loved that shirt. Just loved it. I thought I was so cool when I wore it with my straight leg jeans, rolled up at the cuff and my brogues.

Then, in my twenties, I bought a Comme des Garçon black chiffon shirt (patterned on a denim jacket, but in silk). Almost twenty years on, and I still wear it. Still love it, too. It’s my go-to piece when I want to have a casual-yet-glam’ wee number to throw over my shoulders.

You may recall me mentioning recently that I’m taking a crochet class in May. My brother refers to my craft endeavours as ‘haberdashery classes’. I think he just likes the word haberdashery, but I don’t care. If I can end up creating things like these yummy Comme des Garçon Crochet Jumpers, I will be one very happy crochet-ing camper… (a girl’s gotta’ dream, doesn’t she?)

Comme des Garçon Crochet Needle Jumpers
Image sourced from Dover Street Market

Designed by Rei Kawakubo, founder of the label, who says that these men’s and women’s jumpers are the perfectly example of “made with love and attention by mother”. They have been created with a handmade finish in patterns reminiscent of the past. They are apparently also available as scarves, but I kinda’ like the modern-retro feel of the jumpers.

Comme des Garçon Designer and Founder, Rei Kawabuko
Image taken by Kate Betts (2007) for Ego Design

Rei Kawabuko apparently once said, “The only thing important to me is making clothes,” For more than four decades, she has continually upset the industry apple cart by challenging accepted standards of beauty. I love that about her designs.

Dover Street Market has an online shop if you happen to anywhere but London. You can visit it here.

Aesop – Smells Great & Looks Good

Tags

Aesop, Australia, Balanced Life, Bathroom, beauty, Brand, Cosmetics, creativity, culture, Gifts, Homewares, Lifestyle, Merchandising, Product Design, Retail, Shopping, Sigmund Freud

Aesop Advertising Header on Seek.com

I’m a girl. That means I like things that smell nice and look good. Stands to reason, really. I’m also quite a loyal customer. I’ve worn the same perfume since I was 16 years old (but that’s a whole other story). When I find a product I like, I tell people about it. Sometimes it’s the little things that make you happy.

I wish we could see perfumes as well as smell them. I’m sure they would be very beautiful. (L.M. Montgomery, ‘Anne of the Island’)

Today, I’m telling you about how much I like my Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash and my Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm. They both smell nice and they both look good. They sit side by side in my bathroom. I cannot remember how many times they have been replaced.

Do you know the Aesop story? Founded in 1987 by Aussie entrepreneur Dennis Paphitis, grooming brand Aesop has gone from strength to strength over the past few years. Aesop has signature stores throughout Australia, as well as in Paris, London and Zürich, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, with outlets in Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States. They have lovely androgynous apothecary-style packaging, very clean brand identity and beautiful smelling botanical products. The Resurrection range features anti-bacterial mandarin and rosemary. It is truly yummy.

I quite like the Aesop philosophy to a balanced life – “We advocate the use of our products as part of a balanced life that includes a healthy diet, sensible exercise, a moderate intake of red wine, and a regular dose of good books.” How much red wine do you think constitutes a moderate intake?

And, you gotta’ love an organisation that puts a quote like this on their website:

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. (Sigmund Freud)

Oh, and their retail shops are g o r g e o u s. Seriously. Worth a visit if you haven’t already been.

If you would like to know where your closest Aesop stockist is, or perhaps buy some of their product online, head to their website here.

(Images sourced from here)

Paulo Haubert Has a Thing for Poufs…

Tags

Design, Dogs, Fun, Furniture, home, Interior design, Orange, Photos, Poodle, Pouf, Retail, Shopping, Space Furniture, style, Sydney, Textile

The most expensive dog bed in the world!

You know those silly stock questions that are often asked? Things like, “If your house/flat/apartment was burning down, what three/five/ten things would you grab?” What the asker really means is, “Are there any (material) things that you are especially fond of?”

On my list (which possibly may have more than ten items), would definitely be my orange Rasta Pouf designed by Paulo Haubert for Avec Arcade. Hand made in Brazil, the Rasta collection of poufs are aesthetically fabulous, fun and it seems that everybody loves them.  Including poodles, toddlers and my Mum.

I got my Pouf a few years ago from Space Furniture in Sydney at 84 O’Riordan St, Alexandria, NSW 2015, but I’m sure the team at Arcade would be more than accommodating if you needed to locate a retailer in your neck of the woods!

(Blue Rasta Pouf images sourced from here.)