Finders Keepers chats to two Perth ladies, Claire and Isabelle from Ruck Rover

Tell us about your store Ruck Rover.
Ruck Rover is a little treasure trove of all sorts of bits and pieces. We sell clothes for men, women and also babies; bags and wallets; jewellery; scarves; stationery; a few homewares and also Polaroid cameras and film. Basically it is filled with things that we love! We are really hands on with the business and love getting to know our customers personally. We want to create a really relaxed shopping environment where people can come and visit, check out what we have and if they want to, can go home with a special treat!

What is your background and what lead you to where you are?
We are sisters Claire and Isabelle Trolio. Claire was almost at the end of a combined Law & English degree when we decided to open the store. She’d never wanted to practice law, but rather was into the academic side of things, and had been working in clothing retail while at uni. Isabelle had also been to uni, and had various roles after that. We’d worked together in hospitality before so knew it would work, and were both ready for a new adventure!

What kind of treasures can we expect to find at Ruck Rover Stores?
We sell all sorts of goodies from all over the world. We focus on stocking small, independent labels that aren’t very available in Perth. Some designers are local, some national and some international, but they are all lovely! Some of our favourite pieces include animal cushions made in Perth, lovely frocks from London, tee shirts from San Francisco, silver jewellery handcrafted in Seattle, baby clothes from Brisbane, Tasmanian hair accessories and homewares from Melbourne.

What makes your store unique?
Our customers can find items in Ruck Rover that are not just exclusive to us in our area, but also that are produced in limited quantities. Beyond that, we also try to stock items that sit at an affordable price point. Hopefully we’ve made the shopping experience in Ruck Rover a bit different to some of the other stores. No pushy sellers, good music at a reasonable sound level and not creating the feeling that you’ve walked into a nightclub! A comfy couch to sit on and magazines to peruse, and lots of things to look at including teensy exhibitions in our Mini Art Mart, at the front of the store.

When you are not in your shop, what are you usually doing in Perth?
Western Australia has such an amazing variety of landscapes, all as beautiful as the next, so we love taking drives in the country and exploring what our side of the world has to offer. In town we drink coffees and eat breakfast at Toast in East Perth, enjoy baked goods from Sherbet in Maylands or drink beers at the local pub. During February we go crazy for the Perth International Arts Festival!

What challenges have you faced running and setting up your own business?
Painting the walls! Hahah. We still shudder at the thought of that week. It was worth it though, to be able to look at everything now and think, yeah, we did that. When the dollar crashed a few years ago it was pretty tough. All of a sudden our orders, most booked months ahead, were suddenly so much more pricey. That meant not only that we had to outlay more for the stock, but also that we had to pay more in customs duties, and the products had to be priced higher at a time when our customers were also struggling financially. But the scariest part is not knowing what will happen with the business and that being on our heads. So far so good, but we can’t predict with any certainty what will happen tomorrow!

All the specific details;

Shop 4 / 595 Beaufort Street
(Enter via Chelmsford Rd)
Mt Lawley  WA  6050
Ph (08) 9228 3502

Trading Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 10am – 5:30pm
Thursday: 10am – 8pm
Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Sunday: 12pm – 5pm

www.ruckrover.com.au