My Mom Went To Australia And All She Got Me Was This Lousy T Shirt But What Else Could She Get Me?

What should I bring back for the relatives and friends?

This perennial question exists for holidaymakers wanting to return home with gifts for families and friends.

Boomerangs and Didgeridoos are items representative of native Australian culture.

These hand painted artifacts are usually colorfully adorned with paintings and etchings and look great in the store, but would end up in the basement with all the other useless stuff.

So what are you going to do?

Stick with the unoriginal, unimaginative, yet pragmatic.

Buy them a T Shirt.

It will always be useful. If they like it they will wear it, but if they don’t, then they can give it away to their friends.
If none of their friends want it and it gets handed back, they can still use it for sleeping in.
If they refuse to sleep in it then they can use it to wash the car.
If they prefer automated car washes then they can use it to clean the bathroom or wipe down the dog’s kennel.
Heck, at these low prices and with all these alternative uses, it’s a best buy. Even as a cleaning aid.

Yes. You Can Still Buy Clothing Made In Australia.

Take a browse through the stalls of any weekend market and you will be pushed to find any single item that is made in Australia.
Everything seems to come from the China. I noticed this stall at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. The sign on his stall said “Made in Australia “ so I asked him about it, and he said, that he and his wife make all the garments in their idle hours and sell them at the market.

He told me that he has a niche market in clothing because importers bring their stuff based on price, while his stuff is made with comfort for the consumer in mind.

The stock at his stall consisted of ladies underwear, leggings and tops and skirts.

I don’t have to speculate if his price was competitive compared to Asian imports.

The market is a great diviner of the truth.

Being Australian made is a sale maker, all other things being even, but the public won’t pay more than for the imported product of similar quality.
The middle aged couple running the stall is almost an extinct species in retail and one of the few remaining small manufacturers.
Another few years will spell the end.

Caricatures By Ivano

Caricature is an art which more than any other, has the ability to makes you laugh, giggle, or the very least put a smirk on someone’s face.
It can be kind or it can be cruel.
Some caricaturists market their skills as parodists and create for Medias that use cynicism and parody in their content.
Ivano is a well traveled artist who has traversed various art and craft markets of Europe and now makes his home in Melbourne.
He finds kudos in the understanding that Aussies appreciate an easygoing lifestyle full of humor and positivity, and he reflects that in his simple but effective drawings.
I stood and watched him draw on a hot Melbourne day. He was flat out keeping up with the demand. It was obvious they were happy as they tucked the drawings under their arms and zoomed off in search of a cool drink.

His Web Page is...

http://www.ivano.com.au/

Boots For People With Feet Two Feet Long

Shoe Manufacturing in Australia is almost extinct.
One of the oldest shoe manufacturers Harold Boots, who are based in Melbourne, still knock out their boots for the diehards that respect Australian made products.
I snapped this picture of a market stall that carries these boots. As you can see from the picture, if you have larger than normal feet, size is not going to be a problem, because Harold Boots will make you a pair to fit.

If you want to order a pair, you can find them on display at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne.

Markets generally tend to have stuff for sale that can be unusual and overlooked by regular stores, and that is why they still flourish.

Best Donuts Have No Holes In The Middle

Spanish Donuts. Everybody loves them. Don't they?

Picture a twisted piece of sugary dough without the hole in the middle and you have a fair representation of a Spanish donut.
At the market where I work there are people in a van selling these donuts.
Well let me rephrase. ‘At the market where I work there are people in a van selling these donuts or at least I think there is but l never see them.

The Spanish donut van is so busy I can never see past the crowd and into the van.

It must be the best business. The van has been at Queen Victoria Market for years and every time I walk past there is a long line of people waiting to get a bag full.
.
A message to Dunkin Donuts, Mister Donuts, and Krispy Kreme Donuts.

Take note please. There are no holes in Spanish Donuts, so quit selling us those ones with the gaping holes in the middle. We are now wise to your act.

Hand Made Ladies Shoes Made to Fit.

Hand Made Ladies Shoes.

In a time when it is almost impossible to find any footwear that is not made in China, I have come across a guy who still believes in hand made craftsmanship.
He makes shoes on a made to order basis. With a skill that has been honed over several decades, he sources his leathers from Italy as well as locally. His carefully stocked selection of leathers enables him to offer his customers a large range of styles and colors to choose from.
There are only a handful of these skilled workers remaining that are prepared to ignore the commercial pressures of globalisation, but he continues to defy trends by turning out hand crafted shoe wear for his customers, many who have been buying from him for years.
His clientele tell him that the problem is not getting nice shoes but is their feet. He delivers a shoe that not only looks good but is comfortable for those who have sensitive feet.
If you are around the Melbourne area, call by his stall on the weekend and take a peek.

Location: FRI K 51-52, SAT K 65-66, SUN K 69-70Phone: 0413319505.

One of the more pleasant aspects of being a trader a busy commercial market is discussing the vagaries of life with fellow stallholders. Over the years you get to know who is passionate about what they are selling, their enthusiasm and attention to detail spilling over to the customers that stop to admire.
A case example is a business that goes by the name of Nautical Replicas.

Run by Greg and Sue Smith, it specializes in gifts with a nautical theme.

If you stop by the stall on a typical day, you will likely hear Greg discussing the finer points of a particular replica sailing ship. The customer may be observed contemplating a purchase wile thumbing through one of the dog eared ancient mariner manuals laid out neatly on the stall. The public are encouraged to ask questions regarding a particular model on display because the management understands that a happy customer is a repeat customer.
If you are into sailing vessels and want to see what is on offer: Click here.
http://www.nauticalreplicas.com