Eastern Hill General Supplies is a modern emporium bringing together Japanese tea, clothing, tailoring, homewares, vintage pieces and gourmet pantry items, alongside our own in house labels. Built from over two decades of retail, the store reflects a clear point of view, where each category exists with intent as part of a broader whole. Structured to allow movement across tea, garments, objects and food, the store reflects how these categories sit alongside each other in daily life with an emphasis on quality, longevity and use. Life goods for good living.
History of Eastern Hill
Prior to 1820, Eastern Hill described the ridge that ran from Woolloomooloo through East Sydney, Darlinghurst, Kings Cross, Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay and the Oxford Street end of Surry Hills, some of Sydney’s oldest neighbourhoods. The name has faded from maps, but the layered and independent character of the hill remains.
Eastern Hill General Supplies is the evolution of Footage, our original store founded in 2003, when we took a leap on a then quiet pocket of Burton Street. At a time when the area was retail barren, we were the first to open our doors, long before it became the precinct it is today.
What began as a destination for rare sneakers and future classic streetwear became a local hub, shaping the early identity of Burton Street. Our approach to independent curation and design set a new tone for retail in Darlinghurst.
Today, Eastern Hill reflects the next chapter. A life store shaped by over two decades of retail practice, design instinct and lived experience.
We now focus on four in house brands, alongside a stable of makers who align with our point of view:
Eastern Hill is a living archive of the things we make, use, wear and eat. Shaped by the neighbourhood we helped pioneer, the same independent perspective continues online.Beyond our own labels, the store extends to a wider group of makers and producers.
The approach has remained consistent from the beginning. We look for work with depth behind it. Makers who have spent time refining what they do, whether through generations of practice or a clear and sustained point of view.
This has included everything from long standing textile producers and manufacturers to independent brands working with material, process and place in a way that holds up over time.
In 2019, we brought this into focus through a series of Meet the Maker sessions, supported by the City of Sydney, where we gave space to brands of significance and craft. A fifth generation wool company, one of the last blanket manufacturers still producing in Australia, an Australian skincare brand working with wild harvested native botanicals grounded in clinical research and some of the international brands we've worked with for more than a decade.
Some were being revived. Some were at the beginning. All were building something meant to last.
That direction continues to shape the store today. What sits here is not driven by cycles or volume. It is selected for how it holds, how it is made, and how it fits into daily life over time.
