Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Fossick & find at The Duka (shop 27)


Regular visitors to PAC will know and love the organised chaos  which makes the Duka one of the of the most popular shops to explore in the centre

Ron Gray has been in the business for 40 years. He has been at PAC for 24 years. Back in 1972 his wife Arda bought a small antique business at Clayfield. Mainly as a hobby for something to do (other than being a stay at home mother.) After a few months they decided to take an opportunity to expand and go full time. A shop was purchased in Nudgee Rd and Ron quit his office manager job and the rest is history so to speak.
Expect to find an everchanging scene of collectable bricabrac items, books and pictures. Ron tries to cater for a wide collector's market when buying items. Many a treasure have been found by both dealers and customers alike.
The Duka operates on the basis of as quick a turnover of stock as possible and they sell the idea of "Fossick and you will find".Visit shop 27 and you will see for yourself.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Buttons Blossom


The button shop at Paddington is blossoming courtesy of the enthusiasm of the collectors out there and the number of people who can't walk past a small, but evocative piece of fashion history. We have an ever-changing display of antique, vintage, and selected contemporary  buttons for sale including an exclusive range of enamel buttons made in a small artisan studio in Italy. Many of these enamelled beauties are in art deco styles. Our clientele are a creative bunch looking for something to add a unique and original finish to a garment or design piece. Just today we had the lovely folk from Queensland Theatre Company purchase some gorgeous vintage glass buttons to finish the look on a fabulous sequinned jacket to be worn by Judy Garland ( played by Christen O'leary) in the upcoming production of End of the Rainbow. 

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

February foyer display



A Paddington tradition is the constant change in our spacious foyer area. We don’t just window dress; we do a complete scene change, just about every month. In the past, dealers have been invited to put together a display and customers have contributed from personal collections. Mostly the displays are for sale; sometimes special pieces are display-only to give our customers the opportunity to see fabulous things that they wouldn’t otherwise see.
Some of our previous foyer displays have included art nouveau, mid century design, 50s Christmas, Japanese & photographic. (You can see photos on our website under foyer displays.)
This month we celebrate Chinese New Year featuring traditional Chinese pieces including Jade ornaments, jewellery,ceramics, cloisonne vases, sculptures, art and more.