Posted by kluster on October 13, 2010
The r.e.a.l store owner Virginia Bruce has decided to take a different approach to stocking in her Bourke Street shopfront in Woolloomooloo, Sydney. Since opening in September r.e.a.l has been true to its name, providing customers with a unique range of 'social, ethical and sustainable' design products. The wares adorning shelves and racks are sourced from locations across the globe to be sold a few hundred meters from the Sydney harbour edge.
We're certainly all for the unique stock, ethical premise and the stylised layout of the space but, we must admit, our interest in r.e.al. was piqued by something else. The real meaty part of the story behind this shop can be found with the devil; in the detail. A quick stroll around the bright curated store reveals a range of wares, thoughtfully selected not just for their functional and aesthetics merits, but also for the creation history of both the item and its producer. Through the products sold in her store, Virgina connects customers with community. Be it the small group of ethical and sustainable cotton farmers and producers in Egendeniz, Turkey, responsible for the Hands Cotton range found in store. Or via guest engagement in the history of a piece and its creator through detailed documentation attached to each item in the Water Tiger range. The store inadvertently shrinks our planet, giving a face to the previously faceless.
In an age where corporations (to whom terms like 'sustainable' are more of a buzz word than a reality) dominate the market and smaller businesses struggle to stay afloat it's nice find retailers like Virginia doing their bit to change the world through practice, not preaching and taking a chance on creating a better retail future for all of us.
The r.e.a.l store at 91 Bourke Street, Woolloomooloo, Sydney.
r.e.a.l store, virginia bruce