The Mustard Tree Op Shop & Cafe

From humble beginnings, The Mustard Tree Op Shop in Lilydale has grown into one of the most interesting op shops in Melbourne.
Sure, we operate much like any other op shop. Donations come in. They are priced accordingly. They are resold. Simple.
Simple? Well not really. One visit and you will realize we like to do things a bit differently. Quirky. Fun.
We get a lot of donations. Sometimes they are clean and useful and fantastic. Sometimes they are just absolute rubbish. Sometimes they are somewhere in between. That’s where quirky and fun step in.
For example.....
A cool vintage lamp gets donated, but it doesn’t pass testing and tagging. What to do? Well we could dump it in our skip. And send it to landfill. That’s not always the best option.
What we try to do is creatively upcycle it. It becomes a planter, or it gets reworked into another light fixture. We try to create an item that is now worth something. We display it for resale. It sells and the customer is happy with their new quirky sculptural piece. It didn’t go to landfill. It’s a win/win/win situation for the customer, The Mustard Tree and the environment. Anything is fair game when it comes to our Upcycled goods. Tea towels become cushions. Tea pots become lamps. Lamps become planters. It’s all about thinking outside the square and having fun.
We pride ourselves in our low prices on everyday items. Clothes, household goods, utensils, electrical. They are generally far cheaper than most op shops. There is always a lot of furniture available. The stock changes frequently due to our reasonable prices.
Obviously op shops are well known as places to find amazing vintage goodies. We get many donations that are quite collectable. These items are assessed for their collectability and priced. Sometimes we sell on eBay to maximize the return for these items. The profits go back to our community. We are passionate about community assistance.
All that we do at The Mustard Tree, including our “Upcycled” range is to help raise funds so that we can help people in the community.
The Mustard Tree is part of Lilydale Baptist Church and as a church we want to show God’s love as we care and provide for physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the hundreds of people who come into the shop every week.
We want to be seen as more than an op shop. We want to provide a place that people can come and feel welcome. Customers are able to enjoy a coffee and light meal in our café, they are able to purchase clothes, furniture, books, manchester, bric-a-brac, records and so much more at affordable op shop
prices. If people need extra help we have Community Care. We run a foodbank where we provide food parcels to anyone in need. Each month we provide enough food for approx. 3000 meals. We also offer pharmacy assistance and when necessary free clothing and household goods.
Yet another aspect to TMT that you rarely find in an op shop is a café. We have a bunch of vintage Laminex tables with chrome and vinyl chairs to relax at and grab a coffee and snack. We offer light meals as well as hot and cold drinks. Hearty soups in the winter. Light salads in the summer. The menu changes often.
Speaking of food, we offer our “Community Table” every Tuesday from 12pm- 1pm during school terms. It’s a free lunch prepared by our tireless volunteers for anyone in the community.
Recently we have been connecting with our customers via social media such as Facebook and Instagram. It’s a great tool to spread our message to the world and hear feedback from people globally.
Obviously, without the assistance of our many volunteers, it could not work as well as it does. Everyone brings a different skillset to the job. Our volunteers range in age from teenagers to 80+.
That’s just a brief snapshot of TMT. One visit and you won’t forget us!