ISSUE 2: CHEE SOON & FITZGERALD

 FRIENDS IN THE FERN 

In our second installment we chat to our new neighbors at Chee Soon & Fitzgerald about their incredible home furnishing store, their interests and what they love about being in the 'Fern.

Our names are Bryan Fitzgerald and Casey Khik.

We're both very much interested in art, design and history.

We started Chee Soon and Fitzgerald in Crown Street in Surry Hills. That was back in 1996 when it was bohemian and felt how Redfern does today. At that stage lots of people in the area were really into art and history and colour and it just sort of evolved from there. We saw the niche that needed filling and went for it. We've got no formal training, we just learned on the job.

We are passionate about anything that is well made. It can be from any period, it could be from the 18th century to the 21st century but it has to be well made, well designed and has to be something that can stand the test of time. It can't be too trendy or timely, because it might not last.

We have some great staple designers that we stock including Third Drawer Down from Melbourne that do great little art tea towels. We also stock Stelton, Marc Pascal, Laura McCusker as well as our own home brand, CSF, amongst others.

We make to order lampshades, cushions, blinds, curtains, things like that. People can come into the shop and show us a photograph of the room they are making over and we can advise them on what would suit the space.  We have a lot of beautiful Japanese silks made in the 1920s right through to the 1940s that we use in our custom designed orders. We also have Finnish fabrics (Marimekko), Swedish and Turkish fabrics, African handwoven textiles and Amish quilts from the late 19th century.

We bought this building 3 years ago and we found that this is where we will stay until we retire. It feels like old Surry Hills to us, the Surry Hills when we first opened in 1996 till 2000.    

I can certainly see the area opening up in terms of art, design, theatre and all of the arts which is what we like to be around.

We were drawn to Redfern initially because there was already a presence of these things and it will hopefully continue to grow, but not too quickly! 

Winter Wonderland

IT'S SNOWING AT QJV HEADQUARTERS

The window display at our wonderful shop on Regent Street got a serious make over by Visual Merchandising student Anna Crichton. 

As part of her TAFE course Anna and fellow students were tasked with making over a range of shop fronts in the area. Influenced by the sustainability of the QJV vintage range, Anna re-purposed plastic cups and cotton buds to create a rolling, sparkling, snowy field in our very own window - everyone at QJV is stoked and astounded at her amazing design skills. 

The assignment is part of a competition to be judged by the end of the month and we wish her all the best. Here are some snaps of the display - but it really must be seen in person to truly appreciate the effort and detail! It will be on display for a month, so stop by at QJV Headquarters - 122 Regent St Redfern to check it out! Store Hours are Thurs - Sat, 11am - 5pm but you can have a peek from the street outside of these hours as well. 

Thanks Anna! Maybe this is the first of many collaborations to come...? xx QJV

ISSUE 1: THE RAGLAND CAFE

FRIENDS IN THE FERN

...and thus begins our monthly piece on the incredible shops, bars, cafes and galleries that surround us at QJV Headquarters in Redfern, Sydney. We hope to inspire you to come to “The Fern” and visit the talented people who have set up shop.
 

First up Dave Jiew, owner of much loved local joint Ragland Cafe, an excellent addition to the vintage inspired wave of eateries popping up around Sydney. 

 My name is David Jiew. Mates call me Dave for short. I moved to Sydney for uni after completing high school in Adelaide. I completed a degree in Engineering but worked in hospitality throughout my years as a poor uni student and developed my passion for coffee and hospitality through those years. I worked in the Engineering industry for almost 4 years before throwing in the towel to start up my own cafe in 2010. I started with a small joint in Coogee, sold that business and moved here to Redfern/Waterloo in September 2012 and have been lovin it since!The name Rag Land came about as a play on words with its street location, Raglan St (129 Raglan St, Redfern/Waterloo). It’s also driven by the fact that

the entire shop is furnished by discarded/repurposed/vintage pieces (i.e. rags) that were collected over the months leading up to the opening of the café.

Apart from the cost factor, I also wanted to showcase my other interest which was collecting vintage items and furniture - so to be able to showcase my “collection” at the cafe was a satisfying realisation for me.

In terms of food and coffee, my main goal was to highlight my passion for coffee. At the cafe, I serve a house-blend and also a rotating single origin bean roasted by my supplier - folks from The Golden Cobra. This year, I also started to introduce filtered coffee as an option. As for food, what you see on the menu is basically what we like as cafe patrons ourselves. My wife and I thought long and hard about our offerings and are pleased that all of them have been well received by our customers.

So far, our pea fitters and pork belly and egg rolls have been a massive success!
 

Prior to finding the site for Rag Land, I had always wanted to move to Redfern for its diversity and proximity to the city. I looked around for a few suitable sites and this one came up and was perfect.  Our aim is to maintain the small community feel we’ve cultivated. We’re located in the Redfern/Waterloo border. I am tremendously grateful for the locals who have been nothing but supportive. I think everyone’s glad to have a little coffee shop joint in their
neighborhood and I am also super stoked to be located close to FBi as I think they’re just amazing at what they do in terms of encouraging the local music and arts scene.

In terms of the future - who knows! Just a quick shout out to all the small businesses in the area. Let’s hope we all thrive together in 2013 and beyond!

QJV Shop in Redfern - A Must For a Lazy Saturday

Sydney is a city of villages, some more well known than others.

Tucked away beyond the over-stepped streets of Surry Hills, Regent Street in Redfern is home to a fresh, creative village of contemporary and vintage fashion, furniture and art galleries and is the home of QJV headquarters.

If you haven't had a chance to stop by the shop as yet, be sure to pop by Thurs - Sat, 11am - 5pm.

Leave yourself plenty of time to trawl our unique collection of vintage fashion and accessories as well as our exclusive selection of shorts, skirts and singlets that have been re-worked from beautiful vintage fabrics.

Be sure to also pay a visit to our interesting neighbors, there's plenty of awesome shops to poke around on Regent Street and great coffee too!!

Queen Justine Vintage : 122 Regent Street, Redfern Thurs - Sat, 11am - 5pm 

Online: www.queenjustinevintage.com.au/shop