Vinnies shops (Vinnies), a much-loved charity retail network with over 110 shops across Victoria, including in Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay, is encouraging consumers to get behind a bold movement to make their home and habitat decorating efforts more sustainable – on a budget – called ‘Dupe the Room’.
Vinnies is putting its shops on the map as a destination to buy quality pre-loved items and affordable new goods from its ‘Vinnies Own’ range – with a clear call for Aussies to support community-centric shopping.
“We love sharing tricks and hacks for around the home at Vinnies – and now we’re having even more fun, encouraging our customers to learn how to dupe their rooms to look like the elevated spaces seen on lifestyle shows, Instagram and magazines. By shopping at Vinnies, you can create rooms similar to what you might see in high-end retailers for a fraction of the cost,” said Vinnies Shops head of merchandise and retail innovation, Liz Randle.
“What you’ll find in Vinnies Shops is eclectic and offers a wide range of items catering to many different looks for your home including mid-century modern, Scandi, Japandi and even art deco. Many of our customers are proud treasure hunters, finding distinctive items at Vinnies and turning them into truly stylish features in their own home. And, of course, they aren’t afraid to dive in to give certain items a facelift with paint and polish, too – which can be so much fun along the way.”
Vinnies has engaged the help of Loui Burke, a friend of the charity and many others, to lend his ideas for home and hosting. Loui is a former creative director turned lifestyle content creator, with more than 300,000 devoted followers who look to his finely curated lens for styling inspiration.
“When Vinnies asked me to run a series of mini makeovers and reveals as part of Dupe the Room, I couldn’t resist. We launched into action at the Vinnies shop in Moorabbin to build a life-size house frame and, week by week, we are decorating a variety of rooms to show our supporters just how easy – and fun – it is to rise to the challenge of thrifted styling,” said life-styler, Loui Burke.
The Vinnies styling house situated at the Moorabbin shop was a blank canvas for Loui’s vision, with the goal of demonstrating how easy it is to give pre-loved goods new life around the house. His mini makeovers will be revealed on the Vinnies Shops TikTok channel each week, showing vibrant ideas for redecorating rooms including kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, dining room, work-from-home spaces, outdoor entertaining and more.
“Now that spring has sprung, we know many people will be launching into action to clean and refresh their homes,” said VLiz Randle.
“And we really hope this campaign gives them some inspiration to consider Vinnies as a first stop when restyling their spaces at home or work – and, of course, we always welcome quality donations and loyal shoppers as part of our Vinnies Shops community.”
Most of the goods in Vinnies Shops are generously donated, with proceeds from sales re-invested back into the community. At an average selling price of less than $5, Vinnies sold more than 14 million items in the 2023/24 financial year. With a dedicated workforce of 96% volunteers, Vinnies Victoria served more than four million people in its shops; provided $3.8 million worth of material assistance to people in immediate need and funds generated through the circular ecosystem of Vinnies Shops and its loyal donors helped to alleviate more than $20.7 million in cost-of-living pressures.
“We are proud of how our shops provide support for people experiencing hardship – everyone who walks through our doors can be certain they are contributing to a sustainable movement that puts community welfare first,” said Ms Randle.
“Same goes for how we support the environment – there’s a lot to be celebrated by taking the time to refresh your home, while reducing your environmental footprint and pushing back on over consumption too.”
