Ever wondered how opportunity shops came to be?

Charity shops were largely born in the late 1800’s. Many were brought into poverty by a global depression. Opportunity shops became an important resource for the poor and needy.

But where did the term ‘op shop’ originate? Historian Robyn Annear in her book ‘Nothing New’, the History of Second Hand reveals that the term was invented in Australia, in fact here in Melbourne, by the former showgirl, Lady Millie Tallis.

Lady Tallis – Amelia Young – was a comic and light opera singer when she married George Tallis of the theatrical company, J.C. Williamson, in 1898.

To help raise funds for a new x-ray unit for St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, the old Cyclorama which was situated on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Victoria Parade, near St Vincent’s Hospital was chosen as the site for the first “op shop”. The Cyclorama was a circular building that used to display panoramic images of historical events such as the Eureka Stockade, the Battle of Waterloo etc. With the advancement of cinema, cycloramas became obsolete. Coincidently, St Vincent’s Hospital now occupies part of this site.

Lady Tallis’ aim was to sell articles that were no longer required at bargain prices and promoted her scheme through her many letters to numerous newspapers of the day. Being a leading figure in Melbourne society, Lady Tallis could rely on many of her well-connected friends to assist her.

At a time when other charities held one off styled events such as jumble sales, this new style of shop was quite a contrast. And take off it did! During the late 1920’s many opportunity shops opened around Melbourne to support a number of causes including St Vincent de Paul. As time went on many other charities adopted the term ‘op shop’.

And what became of Lady Tallis, she went onto become a Life Governor of St Vincent’s Hospital for her philanthropic work for the hospital.

And the growth and popularity of op shops continued. Our idea of thrifting began to transform in the 1960’s. Mass production of goods led to cheaper new goods and much shorter fashion cycles, leading to goods being discarded before they had reached their usefulness. This left the opportunity for many to clothe themselves and their families, furnish their homes and even help to provide some basic comforts that some of us take for granted, all at affordable prices.

Have you thought about volunteering in an opportunity shop?

For many years I volunteered at our local charity op shop. What fun days they were. I worked with some wonderful, talented women (sadly during my time no men volunteered at the shop, apart from the husbands who were volunteered by their wives to assist with moving things around the shop on weekends!). We all looked forward to our days together. Each lady had their speciality whether it was pricing, sorting or arranging. My weekly contribution was completing the window display for the week, finding the key item in the shop to build the window display around – certainly made you think and tap into your creative self.

The customers were always most interesting. Not all came out of need, some were seeking items of craft, collectors and so on. One particular lady used to come in looking for authentic fabrics from the 1800’s as she used to hand paint dolls and then make their clothes true to their era. So, there was always the hunt for handmade lace, kid gloves, books on doll trousseaus from the 1800’s. Then there was the button lady, and the couple who collected all things with owls on them, the man that collected picture frames – picture frames across many eras tell quite a story. School holidays were always interesting times when grandparents would bring in their grandchildren to find something to while away the time, books, jigsaw puzzles, toys.

Volunteering at an opportunity shop provides much reward knowing you are helping those in need at the same time providing a sense of community and friendship.

If you have time available why not consider volunteering at your local Vinnies Op Shop either working in their shop or sorting donations.

Vinnies now has over 100 shops across Victoria housing a wide range of goods including pre-loved clothing, furniture, bric-a-brac, household items and more. Profits from the sale of goods assist in providing financial support to people in need.

To learn more or to register as a volunteer visit St Vincent de Paul Op Volunteers.
Opportunity shops are a thriving social enterprise today just as they were over a 100 years ago.

“There is so much indifference in the face of suffering. May we overcome indifference with concrete acts of charity.” Pope Francis

There are various ways to make a donation to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal:-

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal – help to uphold the dignity of families in Christmas by donating to Vinnies annual Christmas Appeal. Since the pandemic began many people have lost work and now as the bills continue to mount up, they worry about losing their homes too. 1 in 8 Australians are living in poverty, as are 1 in 6 children.

St Vincent de Paul Deepdene Balwyn Conference have a direct funding page, visit to donate to our local Conference.

By Kate Baines