Posted on by Cathy

I wonder what the neighbours would say…..

There are lots of ‘community clubs’ around the different suburbs here in Melbourne – they are a bit like the local hotel/pub in that a liquor license is involved but that’s where the similarity ends.  This one is fairly local to me

All would have a bistro serving meals most of the day and evening, a lounge and bar as well as snacks and coffee bar service, TAB outlet complete with big screens to watch several different sports, lots of entertainment and of course a ‘gaming room’ full of poker machines (and free coffee!)

Some people think they are nasty immoral places catering to ‘poor unfortunate souls with a gambling addiction’. Others think of them as a club where they can go to meet friends during the day, have a drink or a meal in relative comfort and not go near the pokies.

More upmarket ones will also have a courtesy bus pick up and drop off service which allows members and their guests the pleasure of being able to drink (within reason) and get there and back safely without the hassle of drink drive regulations.  And getting there in a comfortable mini bus is a boon to older members who don’t drive so they will ‘drop in’ more frequently.

Win win – happy customers- more profit for the club.

Melbourne has just hosted a Food Truck Extravaganza in the city – loads of mobile kitchens serving different varieties of food all the one spot. It would have been fun but unfortunately we couldn’t get there.  Imagining all those vans travelling the suburbs sent me off in search of something I’d often wondered about, something my imagination runs riot at the thought of…… MOBILE WOOL SHOPS or YARN TRUCKS.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a van draw up and park outside your door offering all sorts of lovely coloured goodies.  You could ooh and aah to your hearts content over all the new stock without the hassle of going to the shop. There is loads of information on the net and loads of images showing just the thing I visualised however they seem to be a big thing in parts of the United States but not here in Australia.

Look at this …..isn’t it eye catching with those huge great big balls of wool on the roof.  Imagine that out in the street.  I wonder what the neighbours would say about that 😊😎

Well this brightly coloured van isn’t quite what I thought it was.

Remember those courtesy buses I mentioned above…….that’s just what this is….. A courtesy bus to take you to the wool shop.

I reckon a free ride across New York in the Flying Fingers Yarn Bus for a knitter would be like a ride in a fire engine for a child.  Great fun if you could get it 😊😎

15 Replies to “I wonder what the neighbours would say…..”

  2. I’d love one to visit me. Ohhhh how much fun lol
    Actually it’s a great business idea!

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  4. Your community club sounds like the Citizens club in our small town. They had a special pensioners lunch every Wednesday and when back home we would always go with my parents. Good simple meals at a low price. All of the foreign family loved it and there was always a happy familiar atmosphere. Real kiwi grub.
    Love the idea of the wool van.

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  5. The mobile wool/yarn bus sounds like a good idea. It is at least ten years since I went into an actual wool shop as they seem to be a bit thin on the ground here in the UK. The wool I buy is from shops selling other things, these days the local garden centre. Not much choice unfortunately. It’s either that or the internet which I use when I want a particular type of wool/yarn ie Baby Snuggly when sometimes the colour shown isn’t quite true. Is it any wonder I long for the good old/bad old days before the computer?

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  6. I love the truck with the yarn on top. Good way to sell to those who can’t get out or don’t wish to drive.

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  7. Err, non verbal yarns are not for me. My partner is taking oldies out tomorrow in a minibus to a club as you describe. They are great value places. Are these places an unsung success story of Australia? Yes, sometimes there are problem gamblers within, but a very small minority.

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  8. I love the idea of these clubs!

    I am not sure if anything similar exists in Canada. I don’t “drink”, or gamble, and since I have anaphylaxis I don’t eat food I haven’t prepared from scratch for myself… that pretty much rules me out of every activity on offer, which is why I don’t know if places like this exist in Canada. Members who don’t purchase anything and bring their own beverages and food aren’t usually popular in places where they need paying customers to make a living.

    I have to be careful too, if I drink alcohol and get a bit silly, I have been known to see something wonderful to eat on offer and have a taste… could be fatal, so I don’t get tipsy and silly.

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  10. I dropped in to a quilting show yesterday, in which a friend is a member. Hundreds of beautiful quilts on display! The craft world, I’m afraid, is lost to me, but I SO admire people who take up knitting, quilting, anything that involves creativity and consistency!

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  11. I cannot imagine that bus anywhere but a very large, very metro city, like NYC. I also cannot imagine being restricted to one yarn shop. We have groups of merchants in related fields, who offer “deals” from shop to shop, in various towns. Quilt shops, yarn shops, hobby shops, have “yarn hops” or quilt hops” or “stamping hops”.

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  14. I think someone has a similar set up in NZ – but only works it during certain periods, Wool on Wheels – has various brands on offer, some of the cottage industry types…
    But then again, I require absolutely no “new yarn” 🙂

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