Our hearts are swelling with joy and our faces might just explode from all the smiles, all thanks to Joel Cooper and his (and his wife Rachel Cooper’s) adorable Moorabool St. store ‘frank & dolly’s.

Despite arriving unannounced on his doorstep, the spirited and passionate Joel greeted all three of us (Baby Alexander Eddy came along for the adventure today) as if he were welcoming three old friends into his home.

An ode to all things handmade, frank & dolly’s is a small store that is overflowing with stunning handmade pieces that have all been designed and crafted with thoughtfulness and care.

Whilst many people think there are limits to what can be made by hand the team at frank & dolly’s is reaching for the stars! The beauty of this store is that many of the products have been made by Rachel and her mum Jane Power who create their handmade treasures from a studio located at Rachel and Joel’s farm. What makes this mother-daughter duo particularly spesh is that their skills and knowledge were handed down to them by Dolly, who was Rachel’s grandmother. Like her granddaughter today, Dolly was committed to sharing her sewing skills with other women and teaching people how to be resourceful.

Rachel and Jane’s creations include gorgeous dresses and skirts made from vintage fabrics, table cloths and linen, “tie bags” made using vintage neck ties, rich linen and cotton scarves, comfy patchwork cushions, clay jewellery and irresistibly cute toys for bubbas. Each of their pieces look and feel unique and possess a perfect blend of the old and the new. As well as showcasing their own designs, frank & dolly’s support other local designers from here in Geelong and also from as far away as India and France.

Rachel and Joel are committed to only stocking the work of designers who they know personally and who, like them, speak the “universal language of handmade”, or products that are fair-trade. Some of our favourite goodies include amazing cushions and calendars by Leah Duncan, handmade blankets by women from Aminabad in India, The most gorgeous stripy shoulder bags by Ikabag from France (perfect for mum’s with babies, so many pockets inside!) and fun hand stitched accessories from Thepinpals.typepad. We also loved their selection of antique buttons and brooches and especially their super sweet owls and cats, which made us both smile.

And just when we thought there wasn’t anymore we could love about frank & dolly’s, we discovered that in their “spare time”, Joel and Rachel produce amazing music with their indie/folk band “the evening cast”.

Joel and Rachel live and breathe handmade and fair trade and it is their commitment to this that has led to the creation of a genuinely accessible, unique and special store in ole’ Geelong-town that everyone needs to visit and tell their friends about. This is a store with a soul.

Joel and Rachel are people with soul.

Ps: We were very excited to hear that Joel and Rachel will soon be travelling to Portugal, where they hope to uncover more handmade goodness to bring back to Geelong for all of us to enjoy! Is there any room in their suitcase for us we wonder?

Oh, make sure to keep an eye out for the store’s ever changing shop window, which is an art piece in itself!

frank & dolly’s – 165b Moorabool Street, Geelong, 3220 (They are the teeny tiny shop with the red and white polka-dotty bike out the front! so sweet)

www.frankanddollys.com  or follow them on facebook

Love Penny + Laura