Melbourne’s Tracy Keogh tells Broadsheet her new online store is modelled on the idea of a European-style kiosk, which you might visit to pick up a magazine and chocolate bar, but hosted in a carefully curated digital space. “I wanted to sell only well-made products by companies that use traditional methods with modern values,” she says. “So far I’ve [only] introduced brands I already had some form of connection with previously.”
The website sells homewares, gifts, magazines and unisex socks – one of the biggest sellers. The $40, one-size-fits-all socks are “a fantastic all-rounder gift”, she says. They come from Thunder Love, a small family business in the north of Spain, and Keogh can personally vouch for them – she wore a pair for 18 months before approaching the company to be a retailer.
Along with the 90 per cent recycled cotton socks, there’s also Australian beeswax candles by Northern Light ($2.50–$60), Toyo Sasaki carafes ($190) and wooden risotto spoons by Victorian product-design workshop Sands Made ($14).
“Good quality comes in all price ranges, and I enjoy the challenge of finding [gifts in a range of prices],” says Keogh. The idea is that you might visit to purchase a gift for a friend and maybe pick up something nice for yourself too.
Perhaps that’s a bean-to-bar slab of chocolate from Bahen & Co ($9.90), an Apartamento magazine for interior inspiration ($30) or cosy throws and blankets from Mourne Textiles in Northern Ireland ($350).
Once you’ve made your purchase, you can opt for classic wrapping paper and tape or traditional Japanese furoshiki (fabric wrapping). All gift-wrapping options are accompanied by a handwritten note – simply enter your message in the notes section and Keogh will take care of the rest. “The delivery and customer care has to be as considered as the purchase,” she says.
