If you’re familiar with Sydney’s Cleveland Street in Surry Hills you’ll be aware that, in places, it can be rather uninspiring. However, where Cleveland meets Marlborough Street is not one of those places.

Here you’ll find one of the newest Design Hunter hubs, where a collection of design-inspired stores has cropped up over the past four years. The latest addition to this ‘rose among thorns’ is I Ran The Wrong Way, a shoebox-sized store described as “a trader of good finds”.

Run by the passionate Melinda Tually – a film production freelancer in her other life – the store’s aesthetic could best be described as ‘unpolished’, fitted out with old furniture and found objects, with just about every nook and cranny put to good use.

“The premise is ethical, sustainable and local,” Melinda explains. The products are all sourced from producers earning a fair wage, from Bioplates – bowls and plates made in India from Palm tree leaves – to local Australian products such as Jangling Jack’s scrap yard creatures (an unexpected hit).

“I think it’s nice to have some sort of low-key platform for Australian producers/artists where sometimes I think the barriers can be quite high,” she says.

While the store may be small and the faded green and white linoleum may be cracked in places, it’s the unique designs and ‘upcycled’ objects that make this store a ‘good find’ in itself.

Melinda explains that with the cluster of stores and a number of restaurants opening nearby, more and more people are taking the time to explore the area. "It's nice that there's an alternative to the likes of Oxford Street for people wanting interesting finds from independent retailers",” she says.

The Cleveland Street hub includes I Ran The Wrong Way, Bird Textile – producing textiles made from certified organic cotton and made in Byron Bay using solar power – David Met Nicole – an eclectic collection of furniture, homewares and fashion - and Garden Life – a retail store and landscape design company.

I Ran the Wrong Way
iranthewrongway.com

Oh, and the name….

“During a conversation years ago, a friend dropped that statement whilst they were sharing a memory and it struck me - the idea of intentionally heading in the wrong direction," Melinda says.

“You usually find yourself wandering in the wrong direction or losing your way but running the wrong way made me laugh and then when I thought about it it actually resonated with me. Basically going against the grain can take you to good places too and that’s what I hope people get when they come in here."