Local designers worshipped at the chapel

A GIFTS and artisanal crafts store has opened up in a former wedding chapel in Gordon.

Run by Alicia Gordon, The Chapel Store began trading in October of 2018 and mostly stocks products created by local and Australian makers and designers.

“We are committed to supporting original design, beautiful products and quality craftsmanship,” she said.

The chapel also includes a dedicated space for creative workshops and Mrs Gordon said the building has “lived a pretty full life.

“It was moved here by the previous owners from Croydon where it was a wedding chapel.

“Apparently it was delivered on the back of a truck on a really wet and wild day,” she said. “The property is on quite a slope and the onlookers thought it was going to slide down the hill!”

Before Mrs Gordon and her husband Mark bought the chapel in mid-2017, it had been renovated by the previous owners and was a shop for a couple of years.

“We moved in just over a year ago from Altona looking for a bit of a change and more space,” she said. “We got married in our chapel back in March before opening the shop in October.”

The Chapel Store is mostly Mrs Gordon’s domain, but her husband and their two-and-ahalf-year-old daughter, Odessa sometimes meet and greet customers, too.

With a background in textile design, Mrs Gordon is loving the fact that the money spent in her shop is going back to small businesses, “Little guys like ourselves.”

Following the completion of her degree, Mrs Gordon worked for Melbourne based designer, Emily Green, making jewellery for three years.

“I did a lot of markets with her and met a lot of incredible artists who were making amazing things, so it’s been great to rekindle some of these relationships by stocking them in my store,” she said.

It has always been important to Mrs Gordon to support ethical producers of handmade products locally and more broadly within Australia.

“I find so much pleasure in the small imperfections and details in something that has been made by a human hand.”

She’s excited to keep telling her customers the stories of her shop’s wares and of her chapel.

“My best sellers are local products. Luckily there’s so many creative people in Gordon,” Mrs Gordon said.

Discover The Chapel Store at 66 Main Street, Gordon, or follow on Instagram and Facebook at @thechapelstore_gordon and facebook.com/thechapelstore.com.au.