Last week we took a walk down Woolloomooloo’s Bourke Street to check out the latest design offering – the r.e.a.l store.
The store’s owner and visionary, Virginia Bruce has worked with some of the biggest names in international business – this work showed her the power of big brands to create social change and development.
Virginia has been using ‘r.e.a.l’ as her brand for the past 10 years as a name that describes her core philosophy – Reality, Energy, Altruism and Love. The store is the retail culmination of a lifetime of work in using business to help humanity.
“We’re looking for designers or brands that all have some sort of social conscience, in the areas of sustainability and ethical and social design,” Virginia explains.
The store stocks a range of products, an eclectic mix of the modern and the classical, from ornate Chinese furniture to clothing made in a prison in Portland Oregon and locally-designed t-shirts exposing the sad reality for children behind Conflict Minerals.
“For us, humanity is our platform, we’re interested in developing social enterprise businesses that pay it forward, that have a positive impact. We’re looking to promote and create a platform for designers and brands that will do the same.”
The store will hold its grand opening this week, but it is currently open for trade.
“The r.e.a.l store seeks to add value to our world without depleting it, but just as important, if not more, we seek to add value to humanity.”
The r.e.a.l store is really worth a visit.
The r.e.a.l Store
therealstore.com.au (full website coming soon)