Vintage style comes to Queanbeyan

In the front window are two mannequins dressed in eye-catching and colourful 1950s-style dresses. They provide a little clue as to what lies behind the glass door.

Take a glimpse inside Gwynnie's Emporium and you will find racks of blouses, cardigans, skirts and dresses in various hues and interesting patterns and prints - think checks, polkadots, floral, cartoons, animals, cherries and cupcakes.

The boutique was dreamed up by Queanbeyan entrepreneur and vintage enthusiast Chastina Williams. The 31-year-old was frustrated because she couldn't find any vintage-inspired clothing that was sold locally and at an affordable price point.

She stocks Australian and international labels - mostly from America and Britain and caters for women size six up to 22.

"I thought this was an opening to start something that could become big and it has," she said.

"The risks scared me. I came to a point and looked at it as the people who take the risks are the ones that are successful. So, if I'm going to sit here and play it safe, nothing's going to happen. If I jump in there head first then hopefully it will bloom and blossom."

Gwynnie's Emporium has certainly bloomed and blossomed since it began two years ago. The business started as an online venture run from a tiny home office in Queanbeyan. However, the orders came thick and fast and it was obvious Ms Williams needed a larger workspace.

"With a new business you sort of expect a slow, gradual build but it was bang, within a couple of months I was pretty busy. My two spare rooms started flowing out into the lounge room, living room and other rooms with stock," she said.

"I was being suffocated by clothes and boxes."

That's when Ms Williams decided to rent a shop front in Cassidy's Arcade which acts as her show room, office space and mail room for the time being. She plans to have trading hours in the future but for now customers are welcome to visit by appointment.

Sometimes Gwynnie's Emporium travels to the Fash 'n' Treasure Market at Exhibition Park and the Burlesque Bazaar at the Canberra Irish Club.

"The best part about starting Gwynnie's is seeing that reaction, when women look in the mirror and they feel good themselves. Nothing gives me more happiness," she said.

Business at Gwynnie's Emporium is going strong with at least 100 pieces being bundled up and sent out in her signature pink tissue paper and black ribbon packaging.

Addresses are primarily in Australia - Queensland is the most popular destination followed by Melbourne but parcels have been mailed out to New Zealand and Norway.

Eventually, Ms Williams would like to start her own clothing label of basic tops, skirts and dresses as well as a little girls line called 'Miss Gwynnie's' so mothers and daughters can have matching outfits.

It's been almost a decade since Ms Williams' love for everything vintage began. It started off with a pretty pink, ruffled blouse she had ordered from overseas. She said it was a life changing moment finding something that fit perfectly after years of coming home empty handed following one failed shopping expedition after another.

"I still have that blouse and I still wear it," she said. "It was a 'wow moment'. I finally found me, I finally found who I am and I felt comfortable. It all started from that little pink top."

The mother of two boys continues to wear classic, vintage pieces on most days - even to school pickup - and she said the appeal of 1950s-inspired clothing is that it is designed to compliment every body type.

"I have 14-year-old girls to 70-year-old women buying from me, it's a huge market of people that are wanting something different that don't just want what are in the stores," she said.

"They want something that gives them a feminine look that gives them more shape. Because if you have no shape, if you're a very athletic, up and down build, it will give you the curves.

"If you're a larger, fuller-figured woman who's a size 22 ... if you put on one of these dress it brings your figure in - it gives you that waist, that hourglass shape where you don't have to wear a girdle or shapewear.

"It's just the basic cuts of '50s-styled clothing is made for women. It's the most flattering era of clothing that suits all types of women."

Ms Williams' love of vintage spills over into her everyday life as the home she shares with her partner and two sons is decorated like it was from another era.

"My Queanbeyan home was built in 1948. Everything inside is, if it's not genuine vintage, then it's vintage-inspired. It's really like walking back in time, we love it, it's comfortable and natural for us," she said.

And as for the inspiration behind the name 'Gwynnie's Emporium'? Well, look no further than the owner.

"My partner would call me Gwynnie because it's a cute, classic, vintage name. It's my alter ego, when I'm dressed up I'm Gwynnie, when I'm dressed down I'm just Chastina," she said.

"I'm dressed very 50s, vintage, very often, six out of seven days. But I do still like jeans and tees every now and then."

Gwynnie's Emporium is located in Cassidy Arcade, Queanbeyan or online at www.gwynnies.com.au. Gwynnie's will be exhibiting at the Fash 'n' Treasure market on Saturday, February 7 at Exhibition Park, Canberra.