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