By now you've probably heard how Frip Vintage came about. 

But we may not have personally met yet - and I am very grateful to everyone who is reading this page for their support and interest in what I am doing. Setting up a small retail business in Wellington at a time when the city has been through such hardship does feel like a bit of a crazy endeavour. But I hope Frip Vintage can help restore some of the vibrancy and fun to our wonderful little city.  

I've lived in Wellington most of my life. My family moved up to Gisborne when I was young so I went to school there, but returned for university. For about 25 years I worked in the Wellington public service or consulting. For a long time I loved it. 

But part of me also wondered "what if I had taken a different path". 

I am now at the same age my mum was when she started to become unwell with accumulating chronic illnesses. I watched that limit the way she was able to live the last 20 years of her life. So as the latest wave of change came through the public service I decided I wanted to do something different. 

My role at Frip Vintage

One of the nice things I've found is that lots of my skills from working in the public service are transferable, especially general management.

I have a pretty clear vision of the experience I want to offer Wellingtonians with Frip Vintage - and a big part of my role has been communicating that vision and accepting help from the lots of wonderful people who have offered assistance. 

You'll find me in store for at least part of most days. I've been really humbled by the amount of interest from people across Wellington and I love being able to welcome people in store and explain the concept to them. 

Now that the store is open, and I have a great retail team in place, I see my main role as doing all the things behind the scenes that supports them to offer you a great experience.  

My favourite part of that is deciding what to bring out onto the shop floor each week.

Everything came from France in large sealed bags and I love opening a new bag and finding the treasures inside. Every piece has it's own story and is interesting in its own way, but I do have to admit to having some favourites. I get a weird thrill when I find things that clearly have real history behind them - dresses from the 1980s, jackets from countries that no longer exist. And while I am still learning my European brands, occasionally I come across labels I already know and love - and that I can't wait to share with our Societaires.

Outside work

I'm lucky to have an incredibly supportive husband (Simon) and 12 year old son, Ben. You'll occasionally find Ben in store - possibly helping out, but equally likely recruiting for his own wardrobe. At present he's on the hunt for the perfect denim sherpa jacket. 

Over the years we've had some remarkable adventures together, including through Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Canada, and parts of Europe. One of our biggest "adventures" came about in 2019 when we purchased and renovated an old farm house in the Wairarapa - the place is a never ending source of both joy and work to maintain.  

I am also part of an incredible extended urban-whanau community - without whom Frip Vintage would never have been possible. Like I am sure many of you are, we're all experiencing the shared challenges of raising children, caring for ageing parents, and navigating never ending life changes. A good Saturday night is a shared meal, a glass of wine, and a bit of absurd conversation with my friends. 

Thank you

If you've gotten to the end of this blog then thanks for sticking with me - and thank you for being on the Frip Vintage journey with me.  

À bientôt,

Melleny