Crown St Blues.

For anybody who spent any time in Sydney in the early to mid 90s, a regular trip to the Remo store in Crown Street was an essential part of the Emerald City experience. Quirky items, self-designed and from suppliers around the world, ensured that it was impossible to leave the store without making some sort of purchase. Remo had style, imagination, creativity, and its very existence seemed to say that you could do good things and make money.

Except, apparently, you couldn't. Because, as a result of forces that I will never understand, Remo had to close in 1996. Its closure was a shock, and a blow, and left a taste that all was not right with the world.

Now, however, I can happily report that Remo is back. In an online form, which is kind of even better than the real-world version, because now you don't have to go to Sydney to see it. The website is just as much fun as the store ever was, with hundreds of items and a process that makes navigation enjoyable.

Despite being a relatively small company, Remo understands what it takes to build an attractive brand. There's so much depth to the entity, and so many interesting, quirky things: and people are so keen to be associated with it.

I just received in the mail a copy of Remo's first Printed Thing. Half-catalogue, half-diary, half-inspirational life-changing document, every former Remo customer should have one of these things. I've already put in several orders and am eagerly anticipating their arrival in Bangkok .