Hi everyone! I have a Friday treat - not that we really need one, it is Friday afterall.

Digging for Apples is a Sydney Road institution which stocks Women’s and Men’s Clothing. There are lots of loyal Melbourne fans, I know I have spoken to quite a few of them, so I was quite interested to find out all about the store and the secret behind the name. This week Tarsh Hodges, owner  Digging for Apples talked to me about Melbourne, Fashion and Digging for Apples of course…

photo of Digging for Apple’s drawers.

I’m originally from New Zealand. When I came to Melbourne I was offered a great career opportunity in office management with a great salary, but I decided to follow my passion and work for a friend at her shop in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, selling on the floor and also assisting designing. Working behind the scenes in a retail space made me realise that was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I love the combination of interacting with customers and also having an input into something creative. I have found that being driven by passion rather than money has been so much more rewarding.

When I was pregnant I put together a business plan for Digging for Apples. I don’t think my husband really believed I would go through with it! It was over 50 pages with ideas for the store such as the direction, contacts and potential spaces. The concept was loosely based around the story of Alice in Wonderland, and the idea that every girl loves a fantasy. In one of the Alice in Wonderland movies, the rabbit says to the gardener ‘Where are you?’, ‘out the front, digging for apples’ was the reply.  As soon as I heard it I knew it was perfect. It is a weird and slightly warped phrase. I like that it is not for everyone and people don’t quite ‘get’ it - I think it makes it intriguing. My friend who lives in the UK, Paul, who designs bars and interior spaces, designed the store with us. We did it over the phone and on webcam. As he and his wife are me and my husband’s best friends they totally understood where I was coming from.

I wanted the store to come in at a certain level. Then from that level we can only get better. I thought there was a gap in the market for really good customer service in Melbourne. We are really passionate about the clothing and want people to be really happy and want to come back - and tell all their friends too.

There have been tears of frustration and tears of joy but I know I have made the right decision.I love that my daughter will see that I have created something unique that I love, and that you don’t always have to do what you are expected to do. I have an environment where I can express my ideas.  The store is designed around the idea of Alice in the Wonderland when she falls down the rabbit hole. The wallpaper has vines and branches and animals like a rabbit hole, and there are drawers in various stages of opening giving you a spinning effect. The store was originally quite pink and girly, but we sell guys clothes as well now, so I have removed some of the more pink concepts!

I originally worked six days a week in the store. But now I have dropped back to three days, as I am pregnant. I spend at least two more days researching new labels, looking at new designers, reading articles and researching what is happening overseas and the direction I want the store to be going in. Ultimately I would like to travel overseas as well and find edgy, cool items that no one else stocks in Melbourne as well as Australian designers.

I don’t like to be follower with fashion, I like to have my own personal style. I don’t get the concept of wearing something just because a celebrity is wearing it at the moment. People often try to sell me things because ’so and so’ is wearing it, but that doesn’t really interest me. I like to have fun with my clothing and I always like a bit of the circus element. I love KMRii a Japanese label which we stock.  They have beautiful quality oversized handbags and studding leather belts. In terms of clothing I love Karen Walker’s Sherling Waistcoat (see right) which we have in store at the moment.

For summer, my top tip is a soft frock. I am not generally one for a soft frock. But for summer there are some stunning dresses coming. By putting a girly dress with chunky jewellery or for example a Sass and Bide vest you can give the dress an edge and toughen it up a bit.

Sparta Place is a hidden treasure in Melbourne, and I am not just saying that because Digging for Apples is on the corner. I love the great coffee and unique boutique stores and it has a real piazza feel about it. I also like This Law, on Victoria Street in Brunswick for unique vintage clothing. They have fantastic service and are really fun in there. Melbourne has so many fabulous cafes and restaurants I go somewhere new all the time. As a pregnant woman I eat anywhere at the moment! But I do like Yellow Bird on Chapel Street, Windsor.

photo above of Yellow Bird on Chapel street, Windsor

Digging for Apples, 18/459 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056, 613 9939-0573