The Shed @ Cooroy has its 1st Birthday this month at its Opal Street premises behind the BP Servo and has built quite a reputation up and down the Coast for its random eclectic stock of second hand furniture, rugs, mirrors, artworks, decorator items and garden ware which are sourced locally from markets, deceased estates and downsizing homeowners.
The Shed is not your traditional Antique or second hand store but more a blend of both vintage and relatively new goods. Some have already been upcycled but there are always items for you to paint or add your own special touches to and unusually, a great outdoor area with garden items from pots to statues as well as benches and outdoor settings.
Andy says that originally, they took over the premises to use as an office for their IT business to get him ‘out of the house’ and the plan was to use the rest of the space to indulge his hobby of buying and selling interesting wares. However, the popularity of The Shed has meant it has turned into a full-time venture with wife Nova joining him on picking trips and being responsible for the ‘look’ of the store. “I would say she’s the brains and I’m the brawn, but she can actually outlift me when we’re moving furniture around” joked Andy.
Social media has been a big part of The Shed’s success so far. They regularly post new items on many of the local Buy, Swap and Sell pages which has created a loyal following and Andy says many of the more unusual newly acquired second hand items sell over the phone within minutes of them being posted to customers as far afield as Mackay, the Gold Coast and just last week we had a call from a FIFO worker on a rig in the Timor Sea who had seen a barrel pop up on our Facebook Page that he ‘had to have’ – so you have to get in quick if you don’t want to miss out. “Nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy” laughed Lou, The Shed’s newest recruit.
Another key ingredient of their success has also been their pricing strategy. As Nova puts it “This is our hobby as well as our job, we love going out buying so we have to make sure we can sell what we buy – that’s why we keep the prices realistic and the turnover high. It’s very easy to turn a second hand store into a museum by charging too much – that’s not us”
Check Out the latest edition of the Cooroy Rag Here.
The Shed at Cooroy is Open between 9-5 Mon-Fri and 9-1 Sat. at 4/2 Opal Street, Cooroy, QLD 4563
If you are downsizing or have items to sell, you can also contact Andy by email andy@theshedcooroy.com.au