pigeon ground
It was early local practice to shoot pigeons on the patch of ground that, as little kids, Agatha Gothe-Snape and best friend Alex Elliot-Howery went to primary school.
Dubbed by locals as 'the Pigeon Ground', the school (now boringly named Balmain Public), and its faded memories of pigeon killing churned out these two creative types. These individuals' paths would inextricably entwine, culminating in a collaborative project/business that is, in this kluster writer’s view, one of Sydney’s most down to earth and true-to-itself combo clothing and record stores.
The name Pigeon Ground was, naturally, adopted in 2003 by these two primary school besties when their store opened. Then fresh out of art school, Agatha and Alex planned to generate a space far removed from the at times gentrified vacuum that is King Street, Newtown – keeping things more interesting, keeping retail rules at bay and, happily, keeping rent down. Off the main drag on Salisbury Road, Camperdown, Pigeon Ground is more attuned to some of the better places in Melbourne to spend time hunting for cool stuff in. It is reminiscent of all things good about our frequently opposed (but secretly championed) sister city.
At the outset, the idea for Pigeon Ground was to combine vintage wares with various other bits and pieces and to present a place for upcoming artists - particularly those searching for a start out of art school, to use as an intermediary between the two realms of art student and professional artist.
The majority of the stuff at Pigeon Ground (including the record section) has been sourced and hand-picked from private collections, through people randomly bringing in their pre-loved things and from garage sales raped for rare finds. The remainder of the stock consists of labels such as Secret Squirrel (produced by part owners of Pigeon Ground Brie and Andrew), Dr Denim Jeansmakers and Byron Bay label Meek & Mouthy. Handmade jewellery and beads are from Scoops, Fuzz, Back To Bristol on a Plane and Hooked By Fern. As Agatha puts it, she wanted Pigeon Ground to engage consumers – 'it's not really art and not really fashion, it's all of it together.'
Any vinyl enthusiast would be hard pressed (get it?) to find a musical genre excluded from the record section, which now comprises half of the store. Tim Barber, after a 7 year stint selling records out of Rozelle Markets, took the expanding premises of Pigeon Ground (when a wall was knocked out) as his opportunity to become a partner in the store. Tim had been looking to expand his record outfit, so in July 2005 - having known of Agatha and Alex since they were 16 (when they were too scared to approach him at the markets to buy his records on account of his hotness) - he came to join Pigeon Ground.
Pigeon Ground also likes to add 'party planner' to its list of achievements from time to time. The space is used to host the odd shindig which is always art or fashion related, such as a launch for a new label or an exhibition opening. Pigeon Ground also donates a spot in the shop for no profit to underground Sydney-based music collective Chooch-a-Bahn who put on gigs and promote and support underground music and performance within Sydney.
Pigeon Ground is different to other stores in that it is a collaborative space with essentially five owners holding dissimilar proportions. Although the space is not demarcated, the amount of in-store space each owner occupies with their sale items = how much rent they pay = the hours they have to work per week. Tim appreciates this set up because it allows him to work half the time and have half the space for his records. Tim is banking on cassette tapes being next big thing. He's prepared for the day when the rest of the world finally figures out what he has known for years and stands poised, with his trusty 6-stacker tape player at the ready for the revolution.