15/09/2023
Hey there!
Logan here, your friendly neighborhood prop maker, creator of Home is Where the Art is and manager of our shop in St Kilda.
We have been very quiet these past few weeks and i feel it's about time to break the silence as to why that is!
But first i want to share the reasons why i started this project 💖
I have been working with the flow and fire arts myself for almost my entire adult life. In that time I've watched so many aspiring artists start their creative projects in hopes of creating a sustainable career in the arts, only to be overwhelmed with everything required to run your own brand and give up on creating entirely.
This store was my effort to create a collaborative community hub. a place where aspiring creatives no longer have to be on their own when it comes to pursuing their dreams. a place where creatives can utilize our facilities and platform to create/ sell their wares, host their events and teach/ share their artform to the next generation of aspiring artists. To create a collective with access to the best tools and resources available in our industry. A platform to encourage healthy values when pursuing the arts and removing any sense of competition within the industry we are striving to work in and establish. A no exclusivity umbrella brand to house and promote everyone however they please.
After talking to some friends about this dream of mine, one of them notified me of a grant opportunity that would cover the overheads and help create that platform through an official commercial space with access to government resources and to develop relations with the traders of the area. Having applied for that and waiting for over a year, I was accepted in March and started putting things in motion.
We have reached the end of that 6 month period for the grant activation and though there have been many internal complications. We have been fighting so hard to keep the store open in hopes of creating the platform we dreamed of. The past 6 months have been some of the most exciting times in my life and I have been so grateful for the support of people within the community and so grateful for the opportunity to create such an amazing space.
Unfortunately. due to us not meeting our target for a lot of our essential services, workshops and events. The last 6 months has proven that a simple prop shop is not sustainable and that is why there has not been one for a long time. So with a heavy heart we have made the decision to start preparations to close the store in St Kilda.
Our most popular services are all things I have always provided through Enchanted Movement and I will be returning my focus towards that creative project. So don't worry! You will all still have access to high quality, safe and optimal fire equipment, equipment repairs, private lessons and the occasional group workshop, i may even continue to develop our mentorship program so we can provide the assistance so desperately needed when first starting out in the industry🥳
Closing the store will not be an immediate thing. We will be open for a while longer as we prepare the internals for transfer and shifting over of all the contracts and dealing with the legitimacies of running a business behind the scenes.
We will still be operating as normal Friday - Sunday 12pm-7pm every weekend until the preparations are finalized and we can de-fit the store. We will announce when the date is set.
So come down and make use of the space while you can. save on future postage and come grab a prop from one of our many brands from all over Australia. Come and play with us and send off the store with a big Thank you to all the brands that have supported us and have been involved in the space.
These past 6 months have been some of the best months of my life and I will forever cherish the memories of this platform and forever look back on this period as one of the best things I have ever done!
Thank you to everyone that lent a helping hand establishing the space and I am sorry that we could not make it work for the long haul.
Will be back in the Shop this weekend from 12pm-7pm Friday - Sunday as per usual.
So if you haven't had a chance to visit the store and would like to experience the space before we close Come down to 60 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda and Play with us!
