Patrice Finds Pop Up at Googong IGA
‘Patrice Finds’ is a nostalgic journey back to the days of Warwick Capper, Shane Warne and Andrew Ettingshausen. Their unique retro jerseys and clothing will be available this Sunday, the 18th of June, when they host a pop up stall outside the Googong IGA. So grab a morning coffee, a paper and score yourself some awesome vintage sporting merchandise.
‘Patrice Finds’ is the business venture of Patrice Bourke. Born and raised in Queanbeyan, Patrice went to primary school at St. Greg’s before venturing over the border for high school. Patrice says their love for buying and selling vintage clothes grew from a love of op shopping;
“It sort of happened by accident, I’ve been op shopping since I was very young, and in my late teens I started to collect clothing that I liked. I used to give heaps of stuff to friends and family if they liked it, so as a way to make up for it I started to sell some stuff I didn’t really use as much, and it’s just been going on ever since.”
Patrice’s pop up store is a collaboration with local retro page ‘Fast Forward Vintage’, and between the two, they have an impressive collection of hats, jackets and jumpers from the 80’s and 90’s. Football, cricket and rugby uniforms from the past are a massive feature, and Patrice has an impressive personal collection of lime green Canberra Raiders merch.
“I’ve always loved sports. I grew up playing a fair bit of sport. But probably what drives it most is the memories of going to the Raiders games with the family, it was always great fun.”
“I remember digging through the op shop racks and finding old Raiders jerseys which were my most favourite thing ever. My siblings and I used to wear them constantly. I guess it’s the nostalgia and what not, but it still feels amazing on that incredibly rare occasion I find an old piece of Raiders kit.”
Patrice has been building their collection for years and says quality vintage finds are easy to come by if you know where to look;
“I really enjoy the hunt, so op shops and the odd garage sale are good. But I’ve found myself going online a lot more these days and finding stuff that way. I love the Canberra Raiders. That’s probably my number one thing, I’m very lucky to have built up a small collection of their kit. I’m always keen on any Queanbeyan teams, your Whites, Blues and Roos. Also Brumbies, Cosmos and the Comets.”
Local support has been instrumental in the success of Patrice Finds and a bricks and mortar store would be the ultimate dream.
“I work full time at Cannons IGA, who have been extremely supportive of me and what I want to do. They’ve given me a great opportunity to set up and sell my stuff and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.”
“The dream would 100% be a vintage store, but at the moment I’m really enjoying doing the odd pop-up and hopefully some markets in the future. Just enjoying it and who knows what the future will hold.”
Visit Patrice Finds pop up store outside Cannons IGA Googong this Sunday, the 18th of June, from 9am-1pm.
Follow Patrice Finds on Instagram here.