Twelve years is a long time in retail.

When we opened in October 2003, the street was quiet. No queue outside Chaco Bar, no lunch crowd at Nom. Just a pocket of Darlinghurst that most of the city hadn't found yet, and a store with no signage that we wanted to keep that way.

Twelve years later, the neighbourhood has become something. Not by accident but by the collective effort of independent businesses that chose this part of the city and committed to it. Over the years, we’ve watched a scene take shape around us, and across the inner east, the names we respect have become friends.

So for our 12th birthday, a straight sale felt like only half the story.

We're running tiered discounts on all regular priced items from now until Sunday 26 April -- 10% from $100, 15% from $300, 20% from $600, 30% from $1000. But we're also giving away 12 experiences at 12 of the places that make this part of Sydney worth living in. Dinner at Ume. A degustation at ACME. Burgers at Publife Kitchen. Coffee for a month at Artificer. Breakfast for four at Room 10. A birthday cake from Andy Bowdy for your next one.

A birthday isn't a birthday without food and drink. And as an independent, we believe in supporting other independents.

Thank you for being part of the story over the last twelve years.