I took the concept of making something free, available to anyone to be used, re-distributed and even modified and applied this to my little recycled vintage store with amazing results. Let me elaborate.
How The Open Source Project Started
My shop is along a road that is lined with derelict abandoned fruit stalls, in a tiny Australian village called The Summit. It is the most unassuming of locations, definitely not the spot you envisage a boutique. Most people barely gave the building a second glance, at least that was until I came along.
My shop beginning was humble. I opened with no signage, other than a sandwich board on the road and a giant red love heart cut from corrugated iron, above the door. Curious to see what this curly haired newcomer was doing in the old juice factory building, people started to pop in. I had one display room and the other room was my sewing studio. I made things by hand using recycled materials. Older folk from a more resourceful conservative era loved the idea that I was giving old, broken and discarded objects a new life.
Soon people started giving me things destined for the dump, in the hope I could use it. Even in our fast consumerist society, I think deep down, no one likes to throw things out. The first box contained old broken blue glass window leuvers and dried up leather too thick for my sewing machine. I felt responsible. If I could not use this, it was going to end up in landfill. I put the box in our shop storage room. Before long the room was brimming with the most unusual array of things – all given to me for free. I had more than I could possibly use.
So one day I removed the storage room door, put a sign up that said “Open Source Project Room” and wrote a few simple rules.
- TAKE only what you will use. Everything in this room is free.
- GIVE what you no longer need. This room is dedicated to the free exchange of off-cuts and project materials.
- RECEIVE. This is a place of generousity and community. If you can't give back, please pay it forward
I have always loved the idea of open source software. Open exchange and collaborative participation. I named it the "open source project room" as a little ode to this. I hoped people would find items in this space, use them, give it a new life and purpose. Ultimately I want people to copy the concept and even enhance on it, to think twice before throwing things away.
So how is this free room making me rich?
Turns out giving stuff away is fantastic marketing and has produced immense publicity for my shop. Everyone loves free stuff. A national television network visited my shop while doing a short story on the area. The presenter closed the show standing in my free room. Since that aired, people have travelled hundreds of kilometres to visit and even bring me more donations. The room is not glamourous, yet it is the most photographed, blogged about, instagramed spot in my shop.
Customers are delighted by the concept. A customer once told me that I had restored her hope in humanity. Pretty silly sounding considering it is just a room of bits and bobs, but hey the best local marketing here is still word of mouth and this room gives me that. I find people buy more and come back, with friends!
Since I work predominately with vintage textiles, some of my best selling pieces have been made using fabrics from this room.
Wealth is not measured purely by money either. The joy of my customers is beautiful to witness. People show me photos of what they have made with things taken. There is something about that room that sets the whole tone for my shop. My community has embraced me and supported me. It is the law of attraction at play and I have been abundantly blessed.
Since I opened my shop, other similar shops are popping up everywhere in the area, doing magnificent things in the recycling world. In a region famous for food and wine, suddenly recycling is drawing in the tourists, creating a new sub economy. I love my 'open source project room.” It has done so much for my shop. In return, I am doing my small part to bring about environmental change, encourage less waste and inspire more creativity.
Until next time, may all your steems come true!
x Isabella
P.S - Here are a few more photos of this beautiful pocket of the world, called The Summit.
Back in the day, The Summit was a thriving economic hub, the juice factory alone employing over one hundred people. The highway ran through the town and all the orchards sold from colourful roadside stalls. That was before a new highway was built, by-passing the village. In recent times, the old highway has been been renamed “the fruit run” tourist drive. The Summit receded to a population of 274 people. I love it. It is a quaint community, a place you are greeted by name at the general store (which until I arrived, happened to be the only shop there).