Meet Me At Mike’s

There are some shopping experiences that restore your faith in retail industry. I have had such experiences at Meet Me at Mike’s, a vintage/​retro/​second hand/​arts and crafts hub at the city end of Brunswick St, Fitzroy. It’s not your average second hand junk fare that’s only in the game for the bottom line, but a product of interest and a keen eye for the functional, fun and just plain pretty.
Books, retro bikes, jewellery, ornaments, patterns, a rack of clothes and other bits and bobs are all up for grabs at prices that won’t jump start your tear ducts upon reading back your bank balance. The storekeeper (not Mike) is exceptionally friendly in a more genuine way than you usually find in retail, and will go above and beyond to make sure you’re comfortable with sale. There’s also an interest in old fashioned machinery, so you can get old typewriters, sewing machines and other equipment for very reasonable prices, and they also ensure that everything they flog is in working order. They’ll even give you a go on them before you buy it, right in the middle of the shop, just to make sure.
An absolute gem of a store.

Cute name, sweet stuff, nice staff and an infectious passion for arts and crafts; Meet Me at Mike’s has it all. A bijoux little store selling a mixture of vintage and new clothing alongside ephemera and refurbished vintage bicycles, Meet Me at Mike’s even publishes an annual book devoted to crafts.
When I visited, Meet Me at Mike’s owner was doing up a beautiful old 1950s bicycle and was happy to chat about the ins-​and-​outs of refurbishing vintage European bikes, publishing the shop’s book etc at length.
Clothing wise, Meet Me at Mike is particularly strong in some areas. With a great range of hugely collectable peasant style dresses by 1970s favourite Diane Freis for a very reasonable $ 150 each. The range is small and I would imagine stock turnover is high so if you’re a fan of vintage and some very fine craftsmanship I suggest you pay a regular visit to Meet Me at Mike’s.

This has got to be one of the raddest stores on the strip, with a shop front to suit.
Meet me at Mike’s (Seriously how confusing could that get), is a local arts and crafts, vintage and all round quirky-​funky item store.
You will find Books, Toys and some clothing (more for women, my house mate will flip through the clothes), but the store is all around a great and happy experience.
Everything in here definitely has that ‘one-​of-​a-​kind’ feel to it, so you know what you’re looking at won’t be replicated elsewhere.
For me Meet me at Mike’s is more of a fun shopping experience and Art space, all-​in-​all — Top stuff Mike!

Not an ordinary store where you go to buy new things. Neither is it just another vintage store. Meet me at Mike’s is a whole new world, where craft is a way of life. Forget mass-​produced, ordinary junk and start thinking make-​it-​yourself collectibles.
I love Meet me at Mike’s because I love Mike. Mike is a cat by the way. And he’s lovely. But besides that, I really love the quirky charm and re-​engineered everything that makes this store iconic. Think one-​off handmade bags that are never perfect, gorgeous purses and dresses in vintage fabric. Other constants include old school cool cups, bicycles, children’s books and collectible toys.
Incidentally, Meet Me at Mike’s has three craft books for sale that feature patterns and how-to’s for crafty people. If you love making stuff, grab a copy quick — it’s filled with awesome instructions and cute projects to inspire you to get crafty. Maybe it’ll inspire you to create Christmas pressies made with love? Look out for the books in store and get yours personally autographed.

I always head to Mike’s when I’m looking for a quirky outfit for Saturday night or a comfy dress for a festival, but I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars! Meet me at Mikes has some great little brands and all for cheap, and you know that there won’t be a million other people wearing the same thing as you.
The staff are great — they keep to themselves but are more than willing to help you out if you need, which I think is perfect. Plus the store itself is gorgeous with a mix of arts and crafts scattered around.
Meet Me at Mike’s is definitely well worth the trek up to the other end of Brunswick street for.