Diane Leyman 6/6/12 Diane Leyman 6/6/12

Bricks & Mortar: Onabee

By Diane Leyman

Onabee is a cute little craft and supplies shop located on leafy Bellair Street in Kensington. Owner Fiona Burnes comes from a nursing background, but decided to pursue a different career after becoming a single mum. She applied for the NEIS program, and after having her feasibility plan accepted, started the program by completing a Certificate IV in small business at RMIT. Fiona was then supported for a year with a mentor and decided to start up her creative business, Onabee, in June 2010, drawing on inspiration from her upbringing with a crafty mother, grandmother and great grandmother, who were always busy sewing, doing embroidery, making silk flowers and painting.

Fiona decided on Kensington for the location of her shop, which allowed her to be close to home and her children’s school. The shopfront Fiona is now set up in had been empty for a while before she moved in, and despite its limitations Fiona bravely worked around them. She completed the renovations herself, and initially spent a few months fixing up the space, painting, polishing the floor and adding her own fittings with a mix of eBay, hard rubbish and IKEA items. The most remarkable of Fiona’s finds is her fantastic wool cabinet, which she accidentally found at Lost Ark Antiques in Williamstown. What a gem!

Fiona did extensive market research before opening up Onabee, looking for gaps in the market, and as a result has received a fantastic response. Fiona says she has met some amazing people in the past couple of years who have been incredibly supportive and who keep coming back. The range of items she stocks has evolved over time – to begin with she went to lots of local markets to source items that appealed to her. Today Fiona still has a commitment to stocking locally made and fair trade handmade products alongside her extensive range of haberdashery, and also tries to stock according to the seasons (so the focus for winter is beautiful Australian-made yarns). And what’s lovely about visiting Onabee is the personal touch – the afternoon I was there Fiona was extremely helpful dishing out knitting advice to her customers!

Aside from stocking a great range of items, Fiona also runs a range of knitting and crochet classes. The classes are held three times a week in the shop after hours, and are limited to about five people. There are also some children’s craft classes one afternoon per week during the school term.

Onabee is located at 200 Bellair Street in Kensington, and Fiona also has an online shop. Check the Onabee website for craft class details. In August Onabee will also be part of Craft Victoria’s Craft Cubed 2012 Festival, with a ‘knitting doctor’ sessions for people who need a little help.

Diane Leyman is an editor and writer with seven years of experience working in non-fiction, illustrated trade book publishing. She has a passion for all things design, and writes a design blog called Notes to a Further Excuse. She also likes taking photographs, crafting, drinking coffee and obsessing over mid-century homewares.

Diane Leyman 9/5/12 Diane Leyman 9/5/12

Bricks & Mortar: Ivy & Lil Studio Tour

By Diane Leyman

This month’s bricks and mortar column brings us to the leafy south-east Melbourne studio of printmaker Jenny Pemberton-Webb. Jenny runs her Ivy & Lil homewares label part-time from her gorgeous little 1940s-era light-filled studio, which sits unassumingly at the bottom of the garden behind her house. Jenny and her husband Mark moved into their property around 13 years ago, and Mark set about renovating the studio space a few years later. At first, Jenny wasn’t quite sure what creative pursuit to focus on, and dabbled with painting, collage and sculpture while enjoying her new space. But a six-month trip around Australia in a camper trailer, away from work and the distractions of home, led Jenny to realise that what she really wanted to focus on was printmaking, something that she had majored in while studying, and so Ivy & Lil was born when she returned home in December 2006.

Named after Jenny and Mark’s favourite grandmothers, who were both highly creative, resourceful and masters of handmade items for the home, Ivy & Lil offers a unique range of tea towels, wall plaques and cushions. All of Jenny’s designs are printed by hand in her studio using paper stencils, non-toxic inks and 100% linen fabrics, and Jenny is committed to using local Australian products and suppliers wherever possible.

The inspiration for Jenny’s first collection, Hit the Road, came from her travels and incorporates imagery commonly associated with road trips such as signs, directional arrows and caravans. In fact, Jenny’s caravan print is the most popular in her collection and she is currently working on some new caravan designs (which I got a sneak preview of, and can assure you look great!). Jenny is also currently experimenting with fabulous neon inks and working on new lines of greeting cards and wall plaques incorporating road maps.

If you’d like to see more of Jenny’s work, check out the Ivy & Lil website. Jenny also sells her wares on MadeIt and Blue Caravan, and will have a stall at the Rose Street Markets on May 20. She’s a lovely person, so make sure to stop by and say hello!

Diane Leyman 11/4/12 Diane Leyman 11/4/12

Bricks & Mortar: Kids in Berlin

By Diane Leyman Kids in Berlin is a cute little independent shop tucked away at the top end of Victoria Street in North Melbourne. It’s run by owner Zanin - a super creative, vibrant and lovely lady with a background in marketing, arts, film and entertainment. Zanin is dedicated to stocking an array of work from independent Australian designers, and that’s really what makes Kids in Berlin a special place.

At Kids in Berlin, there is an eclectic selection of fashion, apparel, jewellery, accessories, stationery, childrenswear, toys and other interesting objects on offer from over 200 designers. Some of the clothing labels include Bronzen Temple, Fool, Kings of Carnaby, Limedrop and Stella Blanche. In terms of jewellery and accessories, designers on offer include Corky Saint Clair, H by Heather Lighton, Hungry Designs, I Wish I Had a Little Shop, Jen Hall Designs, Lavallier, Little Shop Of, Ruby & Sage, Scotatto, Treehorn and Victoria Mason, and there's also a selection of stationery goods from the likes of Able & Game, Ask Alice and Rabbit & The Duck. As a brooch fiend, Kids in Berlin is like my sort of heaven – there are so many to choose from! I left with a wants list the length of my right arm.

Berlin might be a pretty cool place, but we have equally cool places to visit right here in Melbourne, and the good thing is that they’re on our doorstep. Kids in Berlin is a cosy little boutique run by a warm and welcoming owner, and it’s definitely worth checking out the next time you’re in the area.

Kids in Berlin is located at 472 Victoria Street, Melbourne.

Diane Leyman is an editor and writer and with six years of experience working in non-fiction, illustrated trade book publishing. She has a passion for all things design, and writes a design blog called Notes to a Further Excuse. She also likes taking photographs, crafting, drinking coffee and obsessing over mid-century homewares.