There may have been no Robin Williams, as Teddy Roosevelt, thundering around on the back of a horse, or Ben Stiller as the night watchman rounding up museum creatures coming to life, but last Thursday evening, the Culture Shop within the National Museum of Australia (NMA) was very much ‘alive’ and lit up on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.
Dashing through a sodden, wintery carpark and into the NMA foyer I found myself amongst a ‘fashion showing’ in full swing. Adorned bodies from Canberra-based Victoria’s Models were sashaying through clusters of cocktail-swilling shoppers; live DJ beats pulsed over the top of chit-chatterers and antipasto plates passed around hands that fingered shop fabrics, indigenous artwork and beautiful unique apparel.
What was going on? – a night of shopping with a twist. NMA’s Belinda Carman and Stephen Quinn concocted the idea back in December of last year. Why not blend it all together! Bring the bar to the shop, clear off the cashier counter and make room for DJ Brother J’s decks, model the shop’s fabulous products across the shoulders of beautiful youngsters and then liven up the experience with a 20% discount shop-wide for one night only. Talk about a stocktake sale with flare and a little fun to boot.
Culture Shop is pitched between the upmarket nature of The Curatoreum gift shop at the National Portrait Gallery and the downmarket flavour of Q Shop at Questacon. Retail manager, Stephen, says Culture Shop is a cultural institution unto its own and one of Australia’s best shopping venues – offering an incredible range of products from independent Australian designers. Elk leather wallets lie scattered throughout the store (heads up…Elk shoes arrive next season), Eco Furniture giftware is there for the purchasing and trend-setting RUBZ jewellery is in hot demand.
With the tag line “Shop + Eat + Drink”, Stephen and Belinda hope to attract a more varied demographic to the museum and ultimately the Culture Shop. Feel like you missed out? Well, you did.
This may be the museum’s first ever fashion show, but it isn’t likely to be the last. Thursday’s shopping night was prelude to future champagne swilling, finger lickin’ good shopping and all at a discounted price. Rumours from the inside….November is just around the corner.
Kate Walker
agreenbean.wordpress.com
