Taylor Pitsilos, co-owner of Designer Op Shop Emporium and Mesaío, shares her entrepreneurial journey that all started with a pop-up shop, as she navigated the preloved fashion industry to create one of Canberra’s most beloved vintage and modern shopping destinations.
Tell us about your journey in business.
My journey in business started when I was 19 when my mother and I decided to open a pop-up store that never ended up closing! I was studying fashion business in Sydney at the time and would drive back and forth to run our little preloved fashion boutique called Designer Op Shop. My mother had previously worked for herself for 20 years in a women’s fashion boutique, so following in her footsteps always seemed like a natural progression. Fast forward nearly 11 years and our collaborative vintage and modern shopping experience, Designer Op Shop Emporium (DOSE) in Fyshwick, is still going strong. We launched our sister store Mesaío in May 2022, specialising in luxury consignment, and our boutique café, Emporium Espresso, within DOSE.
What advice do you have for aspiring businesswomen?
Particularly for me, I work within a family business so it can often seem that I am employed by my parents which has been a difficult hurdle to cross at times, as a co-founder and owner of the company. It can be frustrating when people don’t take ‘younger’ women as seriously within business, but I am fortunate enough that my parents as business partners have always supported my role within the company to be a very important one. I have overcome these certain situations by simply stepping up, doing the hard yards and not being afraid to lead as an owner.
How do you stay up to date with developments in your industry?
I am constantly researching preloved fashion, luxury consignment, retail, ecommerce, and business in general, whether that be through books, on Instagram, YouTube, or travel. About eight years into my journey of DOSE, I felt it was the right time to go and study personal styling at the Australian Style Institute in Melbourne which gave me such incredible tools that I use within my businesses every day.
Visit DOSE at 1 Lyell Street, Fyshwick or online at dosemporium.com.au.
