Meet Other Goods and Services, the Melbourne boutique championing local artists and designers

“Whenever you come in, you will always be granted permission to touch and play with everything. Having a tactile and sensory experience is really important to me.”

Sometimes, a window display is so inviting and eye-catching that you can’t help but awkwardly linger to take it all in. When I pressed my face to the window of an unfamiliar Brunswick East storefront – the third week in a row I’d done so – decorated with artfully arranged glass flowers and trinkets, I knew I needed to find out more.

With no obvious signage, I scanned a QR code on the glass and it took me to the website of Other Goods and Services. Obviously, after taking in its artfully curated array of objects, I immediately reached out to see if we could do a profile. Founded by creative consultant Monikha Only, the boutique is home to work made by local artists and designers, from knitwear labels like Small Boy to avant-garde footwear from Matea Gluščević.

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Monikha started the store to support these creatives in sharing their work and the stories behind it and regularly holds events and workshops in the space. “Storytelling is a crucial part of building value. Customers can understand and develop their own personal connection to a piece once they hear of the time, love and skill that went into making it,” she explains.

Below, she shares what it was like starting a store with “no money in the bank” and how the power of collaboration and community has been Other Goods and Service’s lifeblood.

Tell me a bit about how the vision for Other Goods came about.

Technically, Other Goods started at the end of 2019 when my partner Tim moved over from London for us to be together (he’s the LOML!!!). I’ve always been a collector of beautiful little objects, and he had experience fixing furniture and selling it on. Other Goods came about quite naturally. We sold online and via garage sales out of our home.

At the time, I thought how fantastic it would be to create a platform for local artists and makers. We were starting to develop Two Five Footwear’s brand [a footwear label founded by Monikha and Tim] and I became acutely aware that I was not a copywriter, photographer or marketer. So I placed the artists and makers platform to the back of my mind and forgot about it. A year later, though, I did purchase the URL othergoods.com.au via GoDaddy for $3 for 24 months, but I promptly forgot about that, too. 

Fast forward a year or so, and Tim and I were doing markets every month for Two Five. He had a store reach out to him about stocking shoes on a consignment basis. We were excited about it until we realised that the space was asking for a 50 per cent commission rate. This seemed crazy to me.

Chatting with other makers, I realised there weren’t many options for made-to-order brands to find value in being stocked in consignment stores when the percentage can be so high. Most consignment spaces start at around 40 per cent. In an era where hand makers are scared to charge the real value of their work, someone else taking a minimum of 40 per cent from their net sales seemed a bit much.

For smaller, slower brands, the option to have a brick-and-mortar location of their own can be a huge stretch. So when the opportunity came up at the end of 2022 for a shared studio on Lygon Street, I took it as a chance to use my area as a mini-showroom specifically for made-to-order items.

A few months later, the people I was sharing with chose to move on. I became nervous! What was I going to do with this space?? I didn’t have a single dollar to open a shopfront, but I couldn’t let it go! I freaked out for a few days, but in true Capricorn fashion, I pulled myself together and formed a new business plan.

I came up with Other Goods and Services, and we were going to do it all. At this point, I received a notification from GoDaddy saying that the web domain I had forgotten about two years ago had been renewed. It felt like fate. The concept of Other Goods the store was to create a space where locally produced items could be experienced, and stories of these pieces could be shared. At the core is the desire to see artists and designers thriving and creating in their field.

How would you describe the store’s aesthetic?

This is probably the hardest question to answer. Everybody I ask this of has a different answer. I would describe the energy of the space as comfortable and curious. I would describe the visual aesthetic of the store as intriguing, playful and familiar. It’s hard to pin down a particular aesthetic – I just like what I like! I’m really lucky that a lot of other people like it too.

What was the process like putting the store together and were there any challenges or roadblocks along the way?

The biggest roadblock to putting a store together was that I had no money in the bank. I had no intention of having an entire shopfront to myself. So it was a slow process of putting it all together over a few months. The challenges were trying to scrounge money together to purchase fixtures.

Every day, I would be here in the shop with no lighting. I would open the curtains and allow the entire Brunswick East community to bear witness to the transformation. Quite a few locals stepped in to say thank you, because the view of the window was quite fugly before I started, and by the end of it all, they were really happy to have something nice to look at.

A mental roadblock has always been conveying my truth through the written word. I am a great speaker, but translating that comprehensibly has always been difficult for my ADHD brain. My friends Annie (@studiokinaesthetic) and Anthea (@antheaamy) were really helpful when trying to convey my brand identity when launching.

Another big roadblock for me was (and still is) asking for help. It can be really scary. Even though I would offer it to other people without a thought, it can be tough to feel worthy enough to take other people’s energy and time. I understand that it’s not the craziest thing in the world to ask for help, but I still struggle with it.

Who did you collaborate with when bringing the store to life?

My partner Tim and my sister Jaiya were always there when I needed them. My first pop-up was with Bare Boutique, and our first event to christen the space was Lap Dance for Trans Rights with Ripley Kavara (you had to be there). Gumtree and Marketplace helped me find shop fixtures, Scarlett of Sable Jewellery and Anna of Flecks Angels provided loads of great advice and were some of my first vendors.

Every single person who has hosted an event! The shop looks different every time! I especially loved when Mossy Jade had her art show here. I secured a tattoo shop permit from the council and we opened a tattoo parlour! That was very, very cool.

Recently, I have been working closely with Jade of Bloomin Heck who has been creating some eye-catching floral arrangements for everyone to enjoy. A special thank you to Qiao, Rue, Jessie, Annie and Teneille, for helping me out in-store, as well as every single artist I have had the pleasure of representing over the past year.

What’s your favourite feature/area of the store?

This question should be illegal!! I look over every corner of the shop, and I adore it endlessly. I guess if I had to pick one thing, it would be the window display. I love creating narratives for people on the street to experience (especially given the fact that I can be pretty lax with my opening hours). If you can’t get into the shop because I’m not there, at least you can enjoy the goodies in the window!

My most recent window showcasing Eye Fleur’s decaying fruit has been very popular with children. It is very cool to see them walk by, eyes wide, nose on the glass, tugging on their parent’s hand and calling them to come back to look at the apple with a big bite taken out of it.

I really want this spot to be enjoyed and experienced in its entirety. Whenever you come in, you will always be granted permission to touch and play with everything. Having a tactile and sensory experience is really important to me. I like to light incense (mainly to cover the fact that I’m attached to a sandwich shop, and it often smells like toasties) to bring another level of experience and immersion to the people.

My favourite moment in the store is when someone asks me about an item and I can share a whole story on what makes the piece special. Storytelling is important, especially at this time with production in Australia experiencing rising costs, combined with people not really knowing what it takes to create art.

It is the basis of my own consulting practice that creators should be able to sustain themselves with their work. Storytelling is a crucial part of building value. Customers can understand and develop their own personal connection to a piece once they hear of the time, love and skill that went into making it.

What do you like about the area/the Melbourne creative scene in general?

I admire the desire to collaborate within Melbourne creatives. Everyone is hungry, which kind of sucks because to me that says that people aren’t gaining sustenance from their creative practice alone. But there’s a desire to create and work together to lift others up.

I’m really thankful that I fostered a network of creatives around me who are genuinely here to assist and to build together, like photographer and director Lucy Elliot, who I had the pleasure of working with on Silly Business last year. Collaboration is the backbone of success. Sharing and creating together is an unbelievably underrated feeling. Piping hot regards (and free Palestine forever), Monikha.

Head here to explore Other Goods and Services’ range.