A narrow blue sign reading ‘flowers, pickles, books, plants, gifts, objects, salt and oil’ perched on the footpath is the first tangible indication you’ve stumbled upon The Golden Goods. Opening quietly on Saturday May 11, the hole-in-the-wall store represents a return, of sorts, for Twahn, who has stepped back into the retail game, much to her own surprise. A self-described hawker and curator at her core, in true Twahn style, The Golden Goods is not a straight retail space. It is in the sense that everything you can touch, you can buy (except the shelving), but it differs in that there’s no neat pigeonhole for it to fit into or short answer to the question ‘what is it’. Part meeting place, part old-school corner shop you can swing by on your way home for something to heat and eat, part gallery space, part gift emporium, part gourmand’s dream pantry, The Golden Goods is all of those things and so much more.
“I said I’d never get back into retail, but it just felt right,” Twahn said of the new nook. “It felt like a place I can experiment.”
And experiment she has. The word ‘eclectic’ springs to mind as you peruse the range of bits and bobs. One thing Twahn has always done extraordinarily well is her innate ability to tell a story through inanimate objects and things. Here, every item that has made its way onto a shelf has a story to tell. Having spent a number of years in food styling, Twahn has leaned into this to curate a collection of homewares, including handmade ceramics from Jo Norton (thrown by Jo) and Little Tienda’s homewares range of gorgeous, consciously crafted textiles from India, to name just a couple.
For the foodies, you’ll find a clutch of condiments that can jazz up even the most basic of dinners, including chilli oil from Umami Papi, artisan Japanese sauces and ferments from Byron Fermentary alongside feature cheesemakers, that will rotate regularly. Twahn has plans to rally some hospitality pals (including Kristal Smith from Coolangatta’s Clay Cantina) to have some small-batch heat and eat meals filling the fridge.
Gracing the walls, you will find a rotating feature artist, something Small Stall was well-known for. Among the current roster is Anthony Chicco from Murwillumbah and Its Hopes Are Fadeless, with plans for micro gallery pop-ups and events.
The Golden Goods is located within an emerging hub of activity on the corner of the Gold Coast Highway (formerly home to The Surfboard Warehouse), which is joined by Liquid Things cafe as well as a retail collective from Miami Marketta’s Love Street, Town Folk and Suede Daze. We’ll have more on these in coming weeks, so watch this space.
The Golden Goods store is now open! Head to our Stumble Guide for opening times.
