Retail with heart

Katrina San Juan is a woman with a purpose. As many retailers on Paddington’s Oxford St consider winding up, San Juan is making the move on to the strip in a bricks-and-mortar venue dedicated to beautiful, artisanal products with a fair-trade ethos.

Frankie General Store will open at 70 Oxford St — not far from Ampersand cafe — on March 20, bringing locally and internationally made artisanal products into a traditional retail setting in a venue where the sustainable and the gorgeous will coexist in one harmonious space.

San Juan says the shop will be a curated collection of about 30 hand-picked micro brands, from homewares to fashion to art, with each label showcasing the work of small makers, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“We want to bring the spotlight on to the product and the makers,” she says. “We are hoping to support makers with passion and potential, and make this a place where people can come to find craftsmanship on display.”

Born and raised in The Philippines, San Juan had the idea for Frankie General Store after her sister opened a similar venue in their home country that helped retail the work of impoverished women producers and artisans. The store assisted those women to climb out of poverty.

Frankie General Store will carry some lines from those Filipino traders while also highlighting the work of local artists, fashion designers, craftspeople and jewellers. The store is presently seeking applications from local suppliers interested in selling their goods at the outlet.

“We’d like to invite local makers to join,” she says. “We have space for a ceramicist and some artists to join. We have worked pretty hard on the curation already and we’re very excited to see what the customers think of it.”

frankiegeneralstore.com.au