Tucked away in Maud Street, just off LaTrobe Terrace sits the gem of Ginger Revamped. Home to upcycled homewares, furniture and vintage treasures, Kaylene Dignan started her business to breathe life back into old homewares and furniture from years gone past.
Offering classes using the best Mezzie and Frank Chalk Effects Paint, Kaylene uses her twenty years experience of her time in the field to bring high quality studio workshops full of meaning to her customers. The classes (suitable for all ages) involve learning how to paint furniture and homewares to upcycle and renew what can be saved from landfill.
“We wanted to save quality furniture from landfill by giving it a new beginning and teach people it is ok to paint pieces that would otherwise be discarded or replaced with inferior quality. We want to inspire people to create their own style by being smart and savvy in using what they already have.”
Kaylene strives to provide an environment that inspires all who walk in her creative space, one that “encourages people to look at furniture and homewares in a different way.” The creatives of Geelong can find their inspiration not only just by walking through Ginger Revamped, but by honing their skills by taking classes in crackle effect, raised stencilling, chalk paint marbling, distressed effect, and decoupage (image transfer).
“We want to show customers that you can renew almost anything and it can be used for something other than its intended purpose. We make the effort to provide an “inspirational, happy, I-can-do-that” kind of space.”
To have a quirky and unique space like this, Kaylene has made sure it provides customers an experience, rather than mainstream shopping. “People are inquisitive as to what I do because it is different and want to know more. Sometimes you see their light bulb moment….Wow! You can paint that! Yes you can, you just gotta know how!” Her passion for styling and revamping furniture has rubbed off on her wonderful customers, “People are drawn to its quaint quirkiness and how unique the tiny space is. It packs some visual punch and is very different from mainstream shopping.”
Since opening the store two years ago in Geelong, Kaylene has been overwhelmed by the feedback from her fellow creative customers, things such as “your shop is a wonderland”, “I love how you think” and “I want to go home and look at my stuff in a very different way” are just some of positive feedback she receives.
Kaylene’s favourite part of having Ginger Revamped is not only the customers who walk into her store in amazement but her having the ability to help them discover new things.
“I love seeing the excitement in customers realising that they can do something with the furniture they already have. I want to educate them to save what they already have and not buy the crap quality that is designed to disintegrate so you have to buy more. Crazy!”
Perhaps what makes Ginger Revamped so special is its values and old-world charm. “The men and women from my parents era, the 1940’s, were brought up with not much of anything, and appreciated everything they had and built on it. The Upholsterers, seamstresses, tailors, bakers, cobblers, furniture makers, homemakers, and farmers could all make something or grow something out of nothing and it would last. Why? Because these people made the best of what they had and were resilient enough to live a good happy life.”
The Ginger Revamped dream is continuing to grow for Kaylene. “I see my service with a steady clientele of painters being able to offer customers new techniques and amazing Australian products. Oh and to continue being as happy as I am right now.”