I believe that with a little creativity and a little love, repaired, recreated and reimagined goods can be as good as their new alternatives, if not better. I always have. Since I was in primary school I have been tinkering with old things, imagining how they could become great again and seeing if I can make those ideas a reality. Old goods have a story and a journey that no new item can replicate, and it makes them exciting to work with. This is certainly not a mainstream activity, and making a living from this sort of work are even less common, however with the damage that we are relentlessly inflicting on our environment, this will have to change. We need to start using what we already have.
There are plenty of us out there who love going hunting for pre-loved treasures. We can spend days wandering through op-shops, vintage markets, and garage sales searching for that perfect piece. Despite this, if we need something urgently, we are almost always going to shop new. Finding the perfect reclaimed piece in a hurry is often just too hard. Perhaps this is why we say “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” yet we buy new with a warranty. Perhaps this is also why we see the likes of Schots Emporium and even Kmart selling replica and vintage inspired pieces, and why we celebrate the fact that the current Triumph Bonneville looks almost identical to one from 20 or 30 years ago. Perhaps this is part of the reason that 87% of the goods sold in Australia are purchased new.
Last year my wife and I launched The Reimaginarium to try and help change this trend. Every item in our store is remade by hand to meet all of the requirements of a new product, without the environmental footprint. As well as our own wares, we support more than half a dozen craftspeople from around Australia who do beautiful work in this area. We have been lucky enough to set up in the heart of Geelong, on the outside of Market Square Shopping Centre, as a part of the Renew Geelong initiative. If you’re interested in just how good reclaimed and reimagined products can be, drop in to 109 Moorabool Street Tuesday to Saturday. If you are chasing something that you can’t see in store, ask us. If we can’t provide it, we probably know someone who can.
https://www.facebook.com/thereimaginarium/ BOE Built on Enthusiasm. Photo supplied.
HuG 