How a vintage dream became a modern reality

Vicki Arthur: “People loved vintage then and they love it now.”

by Tani du Toit

The way Vicki Arthur made her idea of owning a vintage shop a reality, is the stuff dreams are made of.

Looking back almost 15 years, she could never have guessed she would own one of the Sunshine Coast’s most iconic vintage shops located at Nambour.

“Back then, I thought it would be fun to own some kind of shop, but I had no idea it would be anything like this,” she said.

“I was a single mother to my two children and I would put $20 aside every week towards buying a vintage item,” she remembered.

“Then, something would break, or the car would need fixing, and the savings would have to go towards that.

“I still didn’t give up; I just kept thinking about my idea, and the solutions would just appear. Whenever I needed support, something would happen for me to be able to do what I needed to do.”

Vicki said in-between raising children and working, she continued to put her focus and spare money towards vintage clothes and accessories. Before she knew it, she had a rack on display at The Time Machine on Currie Street.  The items sold as quickly as Vicki could replenish it.

“People loved vintage then and they love it now,” she said.

Even as a child, Vicki had a keen interest in old-school items and she immersed herself in identifying the era and origins of all things vintage. As a young woman, Vicky’s appreciation for clothing saw her enjoy a stint as fashion model and later she worked as an assistant at Dimmeys, also on Currie Street.

The support continued to appear when she needed it, and a unique opportunity presented for Vicki to secure a shop on Howard Street.

“I didn’t even know what to call it when I remembered my son Beau drew a cute bee caricature in kindy, so I turned it into the Mr Beesly’s name and logo.”

Today, Mr Beesly’s is a firm favourite with vintage sellers and shoppers alike. From finding a dressing gown made by the late Queen Elizabeth’s tailor to personally shopping for gems in Parisian shops, Vicki’s expert eye is always on the look-out for something different.

“What I learnt along the way, is to just focus on the outcomes and not get caught up in controlling the process of things.  

“It’s also important to identify what takes your peace away and to not to let it distract you from what actually matters.”