LESS than a year after Braddon’s vintage clothing store Hipsley Lane opened its doors, it’s undergoing “an evolution” to be more in keeping with the spirit of Lifeline, says new manager Chenoeh Miller.

The new Hipsley (the “Lane” is no more) is warm and welcoming with “more of an op-shop feel”, Chenoeh says.

“We want to respect the previous vision, but just bring in more of Lifeline,” she says. “I’d love to see people rummaging in a $1 bin or playing yahtzee, and we’ll have a children’s corner and storytime once a week.

“There’ll be five or six volunteers on at any time, and it’s fine with me if all they do is play scrabble with someone who comes in. I want it to be a place for people to feel welcome, as well as shop.

“There are so many isolated people out there, and it’s incredible what Lifeline does to help, and how proactive it is.”

Theatre maker Chenoeh says she wasn’t hired because of her experience managing Portmans when she was 19, but rather because of her love of supporting the community and what Lifeline stands for.

Part of that is ensuring that all renovations for the Lonsdale Street shop were done through in-kind support, discounts and donations.

Another element is that Hipsley will now accept donations of “beautiful quality” pre-loved clothing, and is extending its range to kids and menswear.

“We want to keep it all as local as possible,” she says. “We’ve also dropped the price point of the clothes significantly, and since then we’ve seen that people are buying three or four dresses at a time.”

As well as vintage clothes and books, Hipsley will have some uniquely Chenoeh touches, with a range of her trademark stripy socks on sale and a stage, which allows her to utilise her theatre and music connections. She runs Little Dove Theatre Art and MusicACT’s Annual Music Awards.

“This is my dream job, but I couldn’t have even dreamed it up,” she says. “I get to work with vintage clothing, for a charity I believe in, and do something that directly contributes to the community. I get to create events and theatre, which I do anyway. The potential for everything to interconnect is exciting.

“I feel I’ve found my career.”