This weekend The Good Op Shop, Castlemaine, celebrates its five year birthday and I thought it was a good moment for a good old Q & A with fabulous founder and owner Tiff. 
It will also be my third visit as their 2026 op shop model- an offer I couldn’t resist! visiting every two months for some pre-loved treasures that I get to take home, model and share to promote shopping secondhand, sustainability and fashion fun.
A quick word about me and some snaps of a recent (rare!) holiday with my dear mum with everything opped- clothes, bags, shoes, hats… she raised me with a strong appreciation for the environment, waste, and buying second-hand. She is truly the op shop and sustainability queen. Go Margot! And some kid and teenage pics here- my younger dressups as icecream eating cabbage patch doll nurse, and the ‘hippy wizard’ for a friend’s 10th birthday, then some angsty teenage vintage, still love those old tees and shirts, and a good pair of jeans!
And now to the next Op Shop queen, Tiffany Inglis who started her own!
The Good Op Shop is at 4 Lewis Drive, Castlemaine and offers “Secondhand, thrift and vintage finds, raising money for nature.”
Can you tell us a bit about you and how you came to run the Good Op Shop?
It was actually an offhand comment about how much time I spend op shopping that started it! As in, why didn’t I start my own! And once that seed was planted I couldn’t let it drop. My partner and I did a back of the envelope calculation of how much it would cost and then we started looking at places to rent. Given both of our interest in nature and conservation, it was an easy fit. When we spoke with Anna from the Salvage Yard, she made us feel no pressure to succeed and we thought: we’ll try it for six months, if it doesn’t work, then we’ll move on. This week we’re turning 5 years old and are celebrating giving back $50,000 to nature and conservation projects. Might need a cake for that I think!
Definitely cake. Give us an idea of your personal style and what you love about shopping second-hand.
My style is not really a style! I think one of the things people like about op shopping and thrifting is that you get to find things that you might not normally get access to in traditional shops. That way you can create a unique look and feel comfortable in what you’re wearing. I am a big fan of blue and pink though.
I love secondhand for the hunt for treasure. You never know what you’re going to find out what will look good on you, so it’s fun to try things on. And also to try out different styles that you might not normally wear. Plus it’s keeping stuff out of landfill.
How does the Good Op Shop differ to other op shops?
One thing we noticed when we were setting the op shop up is that there are a lot of op shops focused on supporting people, which is great. But there aren’t as many specifically focused on raising money for nature. So we feel a bit special in that respect. I’m also really interested in reuse and upcycling and how much we can keep out of landfill. We’ve got a big, bold goal to keep 400,000 items out of landfill by 2029 – fingers crossed we can do it! With the nature and sustainability areas combined, I think we’re a bit different to others.
The other thing we do is try to provide novel ways for people to explore reuse and upcycling. We ran workshops throughout the year from 2022 to 2025 on darning, crochet, sewing machine skills, etc. And we also run an annual young people’s upcycled fashion parade to encourage kids to explore their own style through secondhand clothes.
Love! What are some of your favourite things about what you do and the people you work with?
Omg! I could talk all day about this. I have had the privilege to work with so many people in my community that I would never have even met if it wasn’t for the op shop. All the extremely excellent volunteers, people we partner with on projects, groups we give money to, and customers who come in and have a chat. It’s the best social outlet ever. Forget Tinder! Head to your nearest op shop and you’ll meet new friends, I guarantee it.
The other thing I love about what I do is the problem solving. Coming up with new ways to do things differently to make sure more stuff is reused and kept out of landfill. One example is the annual Upcycling Award we run. We ask people to make things out of repurposed items headed to landfill into something new. It’s opening soon, so for anyone in Victoria, keep your eyes on our social media!
How do you share your passion and knowledge with others that might also be interested in sustainability and how they can make a difference?
Everyone can make a difference. The smallest decision will always have an impact on the environment, from what will I eat for breakfast today, through to, what should I get someone for a present. Since opening the op shop I try and find ways to do daily life as much ‘secondhand’ as I can. At the op shop, I really love seeing when young people come in to get clothes or things they need, and seeing them recognise the possibilities and affordability of secondhand.
I also love it when people come and chat with me about their ideas, and seeing if together we can make it happen. For example, you were brave enough to have a go at being our lovely secondhand model for a year, and I get to hang out with you. Double win for me!
Some of the fun so far here-
Finally Tiff, any tips for aspiring op shoppers?!
Don’t believe clothes sizes!!! They’re a misnomer.
Thanks so much Tiff. As another that spends half my life treasure hunting (‘I’ll just have a quick look’) I am loving the op shop model collab as it also combines with my love of unique places to visit and getting out for fun shoots and bringing some joy to people online.
I also hope that it ‘models’ not taking yourself too seriously. We all like to look fabulous but I’m also about the lowkey (I’m usually too lazy for makeup and such), and finding clothes that make us feel good and bringing a bit of magic and silliness to our everyday lives.
Big thanks also to my kind photographers- planned or impromptu! Including Julian Potter, Penny Joy Smith (outtake Beechworth twirl below) and Tiffany Titshall (alpacas!!).
The Good Op Shop Castlemaine really is a little slice of secondhand and human goodness (and next door to the Salvage Yard, hello). Come celebrate 5 years!
I also loved seeing this pop up about Vinnie’s op shop fashion shows in Melbourne.
Get on it folks! And feel free to share your fabulous finds and sustainable fashion ideas with us
: )