The place where kindness goes to shop. 'Perch' by Bluey Boronia.
I saw Bluey's shop 'Perch' on social media, it immediately grabbed my attention. This is a shop I didn't think existed but I wished it did..
So when I came across it, I knew I had to pay a visit to Topham Mall in the Adelaide CBD.
Many months ago, we dropped in and we were immediately smitten.
Rainbow anything, feminist quotes, quirky pins, art, cards, books, games that intend to spark meaningful conversations, my eyes lit up.
Looking through the shop - the items provoke laughter, tears, a different emotion crops up picking up each item in the shop. They've all come from an idea, from an individual, and that person has manifested it into a piece of them that you can take home with you. This time we took home a bag full of stickers to pop on The Kindness Kombi.
Bluey himself describes the experience some people have in his shop "many people come in and can get emotional, I usually have a shop dog in store, and sometimes even that can provoke emotion".
This doesn't surprise me, as it is abundantly clear when you walk through the door. You are safe now. Your feelings matter here. You are represented. You are heard.
Feeling safe can make people have emotions they didn't know were sitting inside of them come out.
Now it's time to talk about Bluey himself, he's softly spoken, welcoming and radiates joy telling the story of each piece in his shop. He has sparkly eyes, and a smile that makes you feel right at home.
The shop is what it is because of the heart inside of it. Every time we pop in, I leave learning a little bit more about myself each time.
It's months later and Bluey is now a friend, someone who we will be bouncing around some ideas with for The Kindness Kombi...
Different ways we can get you all involved and ways we can learn more about each other as a community.
We play his card games (One in particular - "100 questions conversation toolkit" by The School Of Life collection) with our friends from time to time, and they evoke the most fascinating conversations.
Our friends know we have these games, so we do get asked to play them when they have something to talk about, or something on their mind. Or they might just want to talk about something different. We've found these cards help us to connect with both new and old friends, and help us understand each other and better our relationships.
We are so looking forward to sharing this with you all. We're going to have some great conversations, we promise it won't be scary, participation will be optional, and first & foremost our space is a safe place for all.
We look forward to hearing Bluey's angle on the way we can approach certain games and ideas - because whenever you speak to Bluey - you hear the voice of kindness, perspective and mindfulness come back at you. It is truly a gift in itself to know him.
You can pop in and visit the lovely shop 'Perch' by Bluey Boronia located at Shop 11, Topham Mall, Adelaide CBD.
Follow Bluey's shop on Facebook here - www.facebook.com/blueyboronia
Follow Bluey's shop on Instagram here @blueyboronia
Lea & Keith, The Kindness Kombi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thekindnesskombi
Instagram: @kindnesskombi