Meeting Melbourne’s For-purpose Businesses
A day-tour for the impact nerds or the for-purpose shopaholics.
*for everyone else, we recommend splitting out your visits over multiple days.
What a day!
Finally back in Melbourne after being locked out for months, Think Enough co-founder Ari recently took to the city streets on a quest to visit as many for-purpose businesses on our map as (semi-comfortably) possible… and feasible, considering it was on the 23rd December.
We know, we know this is a tad delayed BUT - well, let’s just say 2022 so far has been, ahem, challenging…are we right?!
Our fantastic ops coordinator Seng joined in for most of the day (and took some beautiful pics), and co-founder Nade, jumped in to finish off the tour with drinks and local market food.
STOP 1: Clothing the Gaps, Brunswick
First stop of the day was at all-time-favourite Indigenous Business Clothing the Gaps. Ari was dying to visit their store in Brunswick, rich in bold clothes and important value statements. Everything this place does, creates value.
The bright “WOMINJEKA” sign on the wall behind the till welcomes us in, asking to come with purpose. We walk through the rows of tees, reading important statements like “Free the Flag” and “Always Was Always Will Be”. They’re aimed at getting people to think, learn about, and respect the Traditional Owners of the land we’re all standing on. All clearly marked “ALLY friendly” or “MOB only” so that everyone can jump in on their mission to “influence and unite people through fashion and causes so that Aboriginal people and Communities can thrive”.
And… the beauty of being a little delayed in sharing this article? Their ‘Free the Flag’ sign now reads ‘Freed the Flag’ - after the Aboriginal Flag was released for public use, an epic testament to the power of conversation and impact-driven business!
As well as generating conversation and celebrating Aboriginal people and culture, Clothing the Gaps is 81% staffed by First Nations people. Walking into a space which truly values and celebrates Australia’s Traditional Owners and land is an absolutely fantastic and humbling way to start our tour of for-purpose businesses.
STOP 2: CERES, Brunswick East
Next we headed to CERES Environmental Park, a beautiful spot of green sitting in the middle of Brunswick East. This place is an absolute hub of for-purpose business, and a great spot for a sunny morning out!
We walked through CERES Organic Grocery, grab some morning snacks (🍒 and ☕), and ventured out for a walk around the park.
We pass chickens, community gardens, playgrounds, a bike workshop and many other fun and different outdoor spaces. Our main destination, however, is CERES Permaculture & Bushfood Nursery. They stock a large variety of plants and flowers, including a lot of native shrubs and bushfoods, which we eagerly gaze through. I’m keen to get my hands on a woolly bush: my own little native Christmas Tree.
CERES is a great spot to shop, play and learn in a way that supports our planet.
STOP 3: Etiko, Brunswick
Back on Sydney Road, we walk into Etiko, whose catch-phrase “wear no evil” makes us smile. As we step in, friendly owner Nick walks straight towards us and tells us about the business and its mission.
Etiko is a socially-conscious business which puts the respect and promotion of human rights at the centre of its mission since its foundation in 2005. All the tees, hoodies, underwear and footwear they stock are certified Fairtrade, and are part of an impressive transparent supply chain that get the items from their producers and manufactures to this store in Brunswick with support for the human and labour rights of everyone involved in the process… something that is not that common in today’s fashion industry.
We get completely distracted by a colourful brand of bags and backpacks called Beekeper Parade. Nick tells me they’re all made from funky repurposed fabrics and that the founder of the brand used to work at Etiko. Ari ended up leaving with a coin purse and a bum bag!
STOP 4: SisterWorks pop-up, Brunswick
Then it’s on to SisterWorks, a fantastic business which provides employment and training for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds. They had a rad little pop-up shop in Brunswick where we explored their candles, jewellery, homeware and reusable toiletry products.
There are jars of yummy jams and pickles, facemasks, toys and cards - all which make for excellent treats and gifts!
STOP 5: STREAT, Collingwood
By this time we had worked up an appetite, and really needed some purposeful fuel to keep us going, so make our way to STREAT on Cromwell St for a bite to eat and sit down in their sunny garden.
Our tasty toasty, fresh salad, and absolutely delicious Vietnamese iced coffees (Ari had been craving one of these for months!).
With no way of doing it justice in just a few lines, STREAT is a fantastic social enterprise café which supports youth experiencing homelessness, helping them build a stable self, stable job and stable home. Their in-house hospitality training program provides young people with skills and confidence to enter the job market, whilst their personal support helps them thrive in other aspects of their life.
STREAT is also the brains behind Moving Feast, a collective of social enterprises working together to build a fair, regenerative and connected food system in Victoria… but that’s a story for later.
STOP 6: HoMie, Fitzroy
Bellies full, we head towards Fitzroy, to immerse ourselves in the coolest streetwear store: HoMie!
Similar to STREAT, HoMie supports young people off the streets and into employment. Their fun and colourful fashion store is a space where young people experiencing homelessness are able to train up, gain experience and prepare themselves to (re)enter the workforce. They have helped over 1500 young people since 2015!
Not just a good heart, HoMie produces some seriously good clothing! From tees, to shorts, to caps and funky socks - they are truly a label for the streets in every sense!
STOP 7: The Social Studio, Collingwood
In the next suburb along, we walk into Collingwood Yards, a really cool corner of the city. On our left as we walk in, we immediately spot the beautiful Social Studio we were looking for. The front glass panel reads:
“We are a not-for-profit social enterprise using fashion and creativity to provide work and learning opportunities for Melbourne’s refugee and new migrant communities.
Our store exclusively stocks work by creatives from Bla(c)k, Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse communities, while our workshop (just upstairs), is where we teach our students and manufacture clothes.
100% of our profits go towards supporting our education and arts programs. Since 2009, more than 820 people have been part of The Social Studio”
We love absolutely everything about our short visit here: the bright wall, the fantastic store manager and the display of beautiful clothing, artwork and other truly meaningful gifts. I was so excited to find a Music In Exile* record there!
*A not-for-profit initiative aimed at providing a platform for musicians who tell stories of diaspora, cultural difference and colliding worlds.
STOP 8: SisterWorks (again), Richmond
Yes, we’re back at Sisterworks. Remember them from STOP 4 above? The place where candles, jewellery and other homewares empower migrant and refugee women through employment and training opportunities?
We had organised to meet Valerie, Head of Social Enterprise for the organisation, who gives us a tour of their main store in Richmond. She tells us how every product they sell is made or crafted by the “Sisters” who are part of the network. If a Sister is at the start of her journey, she will generally make products which are sold under the SisterWorks brand. Those who have a more developed product, however, are supported to set up their own business and are able to then sell through the store. This makes for a real richness of pieces, handmade in different styles, using different techniques… each with a different story behind it.
STOP 9: Melbourne Farmers Markets, Alphington
Time for dinner!
Getting towards the end of the day, Seng heads home and Ari was ready for food, a break, and a sit-down. So much so, that she completely forget to take any good pictures: sorry Melbourne Farmers Markets!
Alphington Farmers Market’s Christmas twilight edition is truly fantastic! A beautifully chilled and warm summer evening, surrounded by local farmers and their fantastic fresh produce. Amongst the bustle of local Christmas dinner shoppers, you can hear the warm and welcoming conversations as stallholders take the time to chat with each customer. Isn’t it great to be able to know exactly where your food has come from?
We sit in Melbourne Farmers Markets’ flowery garden, sipping local G&Ts and munching on freshly made spring rolls. Myself and Think Enough co-founder Nade finally get the chance to catch up in person after 10 months. And what a spot to do it in!
Needless to say, Christmas lunch supplies are bought, and plenty of local cheese is tasted.
STOP 10: ASRC pop-up, Fitzroy
Last but absolutely not least we head to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) pop-up store in Fitzroy. The ASRC is a well-known support organisation for people seeking asylum in Australia. Along with their wider charity work, they run two social enterprises, ASRC Catering and ASRC Cleaning, and have just set up an online shop. For the last few weeks that shop has been operating from a restaurant venue in Fitzroy.
This means we get to browse through their great merch and have a bite to eat and a wine in the same venue!
Oh, and on top of that we know that the money we spend here is going towards supporting people seeking asylum, all the way from meeting basic needs through to providing employment opportunities.
I’ve got to smile at the fact that we quickly recognise the wine they pour us too! It’s another fantastic for-purpose business, Goodwill Wines, which donates 50% of each bottle sold to the purchaser’s charity of choice.
And there it is, 10 for-purpose businesses visited in a day. From fashion, to native plants, to tasty food and wine, we had a fantastic time exploring these inspiring businesses of Melbourne.
Check out each business on our directory for more information about their products, services and inspiring social or environmental impact. You’ll find all of the businesses mentioned, and many more.
We hope this article inspires you to go on your own purposeful shopping trip!