Oakleigh’s Portman Street is getting another Greek injection, with two new business ventures opening side-by-side.
A rented space divided in two houses the photography studio of renowned international photographer Sylvia Gabriel and an events and christening business, Petit Atelier.
French for ‘little studio’, it is the vision of Christina Anastasiadis and Lina Vasiliadou, supplying high quality christening, wedding and party supplies straight from Greece.
Next door, Thessaloniki-born Sylvia Gabriel decided to go back to Greece with her new-found skills after studying photography in Australia.
“Until 14 years ago wedding photography was really old fashioned,” Sylvia tells Neos Kosmos.
She says she took what she learnt in Australia and brought modernity to wedding photography in Greece.
Having established a successful photography career in Glyfada, Athens, she found she was in demand for celebrity weddings and worked throughout Europe and abroad in New York with her clients.
However, with fears related to the economic crisis, Gabriel and her husband (also the owners of Oakleigh’s Kalimera Souvlaki Art) decided to set off for Australia three years ago and have made a name for themselves in the established Greek community of Oakleigh.
Working alongside Petit Atelier, the two businesses have enjoyed a lot of joint foot traffic.
The connection to Greece is always nearby, with Sylvia happy seeing customers next door get excited over Greek products.
“Petit Atelier brings the best brands from Greece and is very trendy. You can’t find things like this here,” she says.
The launch of the two businesses saw over 250 people take part in the street party festivities, and with connections to Kalimeria Souvlaki Art, guests didn’t leave on an empty stomach.
While saving on rent is a huge positive, the two hope the one location becomes a convenient set up for anyone planning an event. Effectively they want their stores to be a one stop shop for photography and party supplies.