Shop Review: Blue Attic

Blue Attic Boutique & Cafe holds a special place in my heart for so many reasons.

This gorgeous little hidden gem at the Brunswick East end of Lygon Street (which is actually the northen end, go figure) is stuffed to the gills with locally-designed-and-made clothing, bags, toys, hats, kids gear & other goodies. It was my first stockist, several years ago when I was just another jewellery designer with a dream, trying to convince people to stock my carefully crafted wares.


Tani, the effervescent force of nature behind Blue Attic, welcomed me in with open arms, and we have been firm friends ever since. We've celebrated & sorrowed together, worked & played together. I'll never forget the night we got all togged up in fancy dress and sat in the shop, cleared of stock for the evening, waving our glasses to cheer at various passers-by who peered in though the shop windows at our merry-making. We've shared our stories of the joys & pitfalls of starting up your own business: what to do when sales are slow, how to attract a regular clientele, what's the best way to get your message out there, and just how to manage becoming a multi-skilled juggler of time and resources!

I called in the other day to grab a chai latte & drop off some new earrings for the shop, and found Tani talking to a new designer who's now placed their work in Blue Attic. The new product (fab retro aprons, see left for an example) were so gorgeous that I decided it was high time I ran around the shop taking happy snaps of some of my favourite things, as its guaranteed that every time I go in there, I find something new which makes me shriek "OhmygodiLOVEthis!" - and its definitely time I shared the images of these goodies with those of you dear readers who aren't lucky enough to live in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.
So here goes, some of my favourite local artsncrafty creative designer work featured in Blue Attic:

How great are these cat rings? Made by Old Alan, I think they are awesome! So are the crocheted ones that you can see in the background.

I love these purses from Map29 - the fabric has pages from the local street directory printed on them. I'm waiting to get one with Moreland Road on it :)

And how cute are these little nappycover and hairband sets from Retro Kid for a splash of summer?

Cute knitted stuffed toys lounge next to you on the couch while you sip your cappuccino. These particular ones aren't actually for sale, but are for little people who might otherwise want to play with all the other fabulous things on offer instore :)

Snack on a gluten-free/vegan cupcake from either Vegan Muff or Bake Pretty. Mmm! My favourite is the Bounty Cake - chocolate and coconut. I kid you not - one day I called in there and practically inhaled that sucker.

I love the kooky dracula doll from Monsta.

These gorgeous handmade soaps by Quintessence keep you both yummy-smelling and looking delicious.

Tea cosies AND dragons!?!? What's not to love?!

These pretty corsage brooches are from Irena.

Petrol heads are covered with these cool retro car tees (I'd be the last one to call myself a petrol head, I know nothing at all about cars, but I think these are so cool).

Maxwell's laser cut jewellery using paper and wood are fabulous.

This fab dress is by Istana.

New from Joolz at Blue Attic is this gelati-coloured mother-of-pearl necklace, with a matching pair of earrings, and I also dropped off another pair of long chandelier-style earrings made from recycled vintage faux pearls.

Incredibly, there is so much more fabulousness in Blue Attic, but I think maybe I've shared enough with you for one day!

There might have to be a part two... 

Blue Attic, 323 Lygon St East Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia, 3057

Shop Review: Blue Attic