On Wednesday the 16th of February, I headed to Stables Shopping Centre in Mill Park, Melbourne, for the opening of Savers’ eighth Australian store. Being a local in the area, I was eagerly awaiting the store doors to open and I was thrilled to be invited along.
Upon arrival, my mum and I collected our nametags and were told we could browse the aisles until the fashion parade begun. We were also told, much to my delight, that we had the opportunity to shop at the end of the night. We headed off to explore the new store and earmark some treasures for later on.
First stop were the books; rows and rows of beautiful books, in all shapes and sizes. I spotted what I like to call the “token” second hand books – The Devil Wears Prada, The DiVinci Code, anything by Jodi Piccoult, Marian Keyes and Cathy Kelly, as well as a teen section with dedicated Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley shelves. My 13 year old self would have been very happy.
On we went to the kitchenware and we were met with shelves and shelves of meticulously arranged glasses, crystal knick knacks, ceramic statues and so much more. I couldn’t believe how hard the staff would have worked to get everything so organised and neat.
Next we wandered over to the wall of handbags, all colour coordinated and then browsed the huge selection of shoes. I was itching to get to the clothes, so left mum trying on shoes to start at the coats….
Now if you have never been to a Savers store, all items are grouped by type, then into size and then again into colour, which makes it super easy if you are looking for a particular item. I flipped through the camel coats, making a note to come right back to this section at the end of the night.
While I oooh-ed over blazers, Mum ahhh-ed over blouses. A quick stop at the pants and then it was time to take our seats for the parade.
Look, it’s sometimes Onya writer Lara McPherson on the catwalk…nice pins!
Donna McMaster, MD of Savers Australia and Greg Johnson, CEO of Diabetes Australia both spoke about the partnership between the two companies and how they hope the new store opening will strengthen their relationship as well as providing support to local businesses in the area.
After they thanked everyone for coming, they announced the fashion parade and let us know that all items on show were things that could be found at a Savers store. I managed to snag a front row seat so was eager to see what was to come…
The male models definitely had a great time up on the runway, strutting their stuff in rolled up chinos and jackets, paired with cool sunglasses and even a trendy looking briefcase. The girls’ looks ranged from lazy weekends in pretty tops and skirts to sexy nights out in amazing dresses, pearls and gloves. My favourite pieces included some awesome gold boots, fabulous cuffed cream pants and a divine vintage white lace dress. The models made their final walk to a round of applause and then it was time to hit the racks.
I was lucky enough to snag the gorgeous camel coat I had my eye on earlier, as well as a burnt orange blazer, a vintage-style cream telephone and a Vogue mirror for my room. As our purchases were put through, we were asked what we thought of the store. I thought that it was wonderfully set out, very neat and tidy and offered a huge selection of goods. I will definitely be heading back there next time the shopping urge hits.
