A long-standing love of the vintage and the retro has led to a new treasure trove of furniture and other goods from bygone decades for the Illawarra. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading On Saturday, August 10 couple Matt English and Kim Seet opened the doors of their standalone shop in Fairy Meadow, Supertrash.
Mr English had been trading for the past 15 years in the Illawarra, most recently from the now-shuttered Fairy Meadow Antique Centre. When the lease at the centre expired, Mr English and Ms Seet decided to branch out on their own. Supertrash is filled with furniture - primarily mid-century and Art Deco - as well as homewares, collectables, records, and clothing.
The warehouse space on the corner of the Princes Highway and Jardine Street is styled by Ms Seet, a designer. The shop has also partnered with tradespeople to offer timber restoration and reupholstering of old furniture. Until three years ago, Mr English was a part-time cookery teacher at TAFE who supplemented his income buying and selling vintage items.
"My love for mid-century furniture and just about anything from that period really took off," he said. It is the beauty and quality craftmanship of goods from that period that he especially appreciates. "They've lasted, they've stood the test of time," Mr English said.
Vintage furniture might have bumps and scuffs, but he said "it's had a story, it's had a life". Not only that, but he said it was more sustainable than buying something mass-produced that would end up in landfill. "We both believe that buying vintage is the way of the future," Ms English said of he and Ms Seet's philosophy.
Mr English honed his craft at auctions in Sydney and began selling goods through a friends' retro shop in Sydney, which gave him the confidence to keep going. He quit his teaching gig a few years ago to focus full-time on his business, which has become a "vintage supermarket" with a regular clientele ranging from an 11-year-old boy to a man in his late 80s. Mr English credits his own love of vintage and retro goods to his childhood experiences, recalling how his mother "dragged" him around to op shops when he was young.
"I love the social aspect, the thrill of the chase, the thrill of the hunt...
I see it as a bit of an adventure," Mr English said. Every day, he said, he and Ms Seet woke up and said "Where are we going today to find some treasure?" Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate.
Our Watch award winner. Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate.
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