Origen Imports

“Travel opens the doors to being charmed by people from a completely different world from your own,” Rose Marie the owner of Origen Imports tells me as we sit down over Turkish delight, dates and mint tea.

I’m upstairs in her South Melbourne store where I am surrounded by exotic goods from Guatemala, Afghanistan and Thailand to name but a few.

Rose Marie has established partnerships with the same families more than 20 years old that make everything from jewellery in Thailand to weaving textiles in Guatemala. It is in these authentic relationships that we see such a diverse range of product stocked at Origen Imports.

“Diversity is really what Origen is all about, “Rose Marie tells me.

It’s clearly a passion for her and you can see it in every detail of the store. From the hand printed scarves from Bali, the Frida Kahlo matchboxes to the beaded bracelets from Guatemala there is a story behind each and every piece.

You can find Origen Imports at Shop G4, Clarendon Centre, 245 – 267 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Ph (03) 9682 4299 as well as their other stores and website of course.

Myself and owner Rose Marie.