The Heraldic Shoppe: bringing families and history together at QVM

“It’s all about family and history.”

If you take a walk along Queen Victoria Market (QVM), you will notice a shop that sells custom-made historical family crests and coats of arms that are printed and framed on the spot.

The Heraldic Shoppe, located in String Bean Alley’s shop 11, is the family-run business of Lela and Danny Dunne who provide customers with insights into their family surnames and the rich history they hold.

“I love being a part of the market, it just feels like we really fit,” Ms Dunne said. “Ours is a very niche product and it’s been really well-received. We’ve had a lot of customers saying, ‘oh, this is brilliant to have you here at the market.” 

The dream began in 2002 after Ms Dunne moved to Queensland to pursue her passion for historical ancestry products. Before settling down in Melbourne, the couple travelled around Australia selling their products at events like the Sydney Royal Easter Show, and other major agricultural shows.

“We only moved to Melbourne last year because we decided we wanted to actually open a shop and settle down,” Ms Dunne said. “We don’t want to be travelling as much, and we’ve always wanted to get into the Queen Victoria Market because of the historical connection to it.”

And, ever since opening five months ago, the Dunnes’ vision of establishing a business at the iconic QVM has now become a reality.

Attracting a range of visitors, these heraldic products are ideal for gifting to friends or family. Ms Dunne says that family crests and coats of arms can be a great present for weddings, anniversaries, and special occasions, or simply for “kids trying to buy something for their grandparents”.

“There’s 54 years of research in our history, and basically most of the family names go back about a thousand years or so,” she said.

“We do 18 countries in Europe, and we have half a million names in the database, so I guess that as long as you’re of European descent we can tap into that.”

Your surname can be imprinted on any medium, from plaques to door knockers, embroidered banners and more, and there’s also a digital online version for family crests and coats of arms.

Products can be purchased in-store on Thursday and Friday from 9am to 3pm; between 9am and 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday, or online via The Heraldic Shoppe website.

“I love history and the job is very interesting because you never know what you’re going to get when you type the name in,” Ms Dunne said.

“It’s really good for kids as well because a lot of kids in Australia don’t get taught any European history or a lot of history outside of Australia, so this gives them a real opportunity to find out exactly where the ancestry of their name comes from.” •