WE ARE THE OP SHOP QUEENS

THE MURIELS GO SHOPPING

In the old days  my mother would indulge in a little shopping therapy by visiting Nat Browns.  the department store with everything bar food. aunt maud who was never into female trappery would spend the morning in Farmers and Graziers. by lunchtime you could bet your bottom dollar both had found a bargain neither really needed. 

roll on the seventies and by then St Vincent de Paul had rolled out their shops across the nation.  quickly referred to as vinnie's boutiques. and these days proudly labelled simply Vinnie's.

every little church cum charity has gradually jumped on the band wagon. some have even franchised their op shops out. this means they are competitive in price. bargains less likely.

I met Mrs Shea one lunchtime in the coastal town. when i was young and beautiful and god's answer to mankind. so to speak. she was struggling up the hill with these suitcases. i thought she had just got off the bus. even i found those cases heavy as i struggled up the hill behind her. through the catholic churchyard. to a house equal to the manor born. filled with crap from one end to the other. yes you guessed right. she had discovered Vinnie's and could not resist a bargain.

but these original Vinnie's shops sure came in handy for fancy dress parties. invited to a formal dinner i quickly scooped a slinky blue number, some strapless shoes, and patterned tights from the local Vinnie's for $5. a rose here. a rose there. and away i went. i think it was a christmas do at caz's and peter's in the country. the belle of the ball so to speak. and the power went off. and on the way home the power was off. in every street. in every town. spooky. some of you must remember this. mid late seventies? 





might need super sleuth on the job.

for another fancy dress party that actually turned into one very long night of partying from memory, Leon and Gary dressed up as twin madams. identical red dresses, drooping pantyhose and identical white shoes. from the real life original Vinnie's in Stewart St. leon stainer do you remember this? it started out as someone's 21st at the surf life saving club and ended up god knows where sometime next day. and i lost my car. but that's beside the point because Vinnie's don't sell cars.

.

but as the years have wandered on some of us have become personifications of Mrs Shea. not many places now provide a general store. like Kenworthy's in Latrobe, a place to indulge so to speak. where there was always a bargain out the back, under the counter or up in the roof. something unexpected. so we promise ourselves a quick break in the day's proceedings. a little uplift. time out. a quick visit to the favourite op shop. here we go.

now i must admit to you all that the Muriels' houses are well known to be op shops in themselves. for who would know when one will need that small piece of green material, that purple lace trimming, that silk tie, those jointed barbie dolls that orange tile. everything needs a home.

finding good material, particularly cotton material, is like winning tattslotto. it is certainly cheaper than a flutter on the pokies and much more rewarding as you can always be sure of a surprise. like the old fashioned thermos that stays hot for days on end . that i found in a lygon st. op shop. everywhere you go you will even have a choice of shop. but out of all this so called crap amazing things can emerge.

and i think someone should have written a song to celebrate the op shop queens. it is a title of which we are very proud. but before i sign off i must dedicate this post to the Duchess of Op Shops. she knows the whereabouts and specialties and bargains, and the colour of each front door, anywhere between New Norfolk and the mouth of the Derwent River. 

but failing to find a song to suit us, you are just going to have to adjust your words using the famous lyrics and music of ABBA. come on its nearly the silly season. have a sing and a dance. and then go op shopping.

► 3:46

ABBA - Dancing Queen (1976) HD 0815007 - YouTube youtube.com6 Apr 2012 - 4 min - Uploaded by MyABBAtunesA0815007 ABBA - Dancing Queen, ein Hit 1976. Audio-CD-Sound zu Video-Material aus TV -Show ...