For generations of Australians, David Jones has been so much more than a department store. From its Christmas windows and famous choir to its bustling food halls and high-end fashion, a trip to ‘DJs’ was an experience to treasure.
First opening its doors in Sydney in 1838, the beloved retailer has been part of Australian life for 188 years. So, for many, the news that David Jones has entered voluntary administration has sparked a flood of fond memories.
But few have more reason to cherish those memories than Sydney couple Louisa Chircop, and her husband Steve May, both 52, who found love among the store’s wedding gifts 30 years ago.
Even before that, DJs played a special part in Louisa’s life as she worked there as a child model.
“I was four when I started modelling for David Jones,” Louisa tells New Idea. “I appeared in their 140th birthday sale catalogue, with balls of wool advertised for just 20 cents! I could earn up to $200 for a shoot.”
Little did she know, years later, DJs would find her love – and give her own baby daughter a turn in front of the camera!
It was 1995, and Louisa, then 21, was shopping for an engagement present at David Jones in Sydney’s Miranda.
Behind the counter was uni student, Steve. Helping in the bridal registry, he’d earned a reputation as DJs’ best gift-wrapper.
“Back then, couples would get a clipboard and walk around the store choosing everything,” Steve says.
“Every wedding present had to be beautifully wrapped, and they taught us how to make these fantastic rosettes with ribbon. Sometimes older ladies would ask one of the girls to wrap their presents, thinking I’d make a mess of it. But I could out-wrap anyone!”
When Louisa bought a crystal bowl, Steve demonstrated his skills.
“He suggested wrapping my presents with his special rosettes,” Louisa says. “We got chatting while he was winding ribbon around his hand, and he even taught me how to make one.”
A couple of weeks later, Louisa returned to browse the shoe sales. But as she passed the bridal registry, she spotted Steve.
“Did you want to go to the art gallery?” he blurted out.
Their first date took them to the Archibald Prize exhibition, and the creative pair soon became a couple. They married in 2001, with Steve paying tribute to the place that brought them together in his speech.
“There’s no other store like David Jones,” he said, borrowing the retailer’s famous slogan.
DJs also helped shape Steve’s career. Moving into advertising, he became a catalogue copywriter, working on DJs’ Christmas editions. Then, in another unexpected twist, he found himself modelling for the retailer – well, his hands did!
“We had a male model booked to photograph laptops, but he pulled out at the last minute,” Steve says. “The producer was freaking out, checking all the blokes’ hands. I was the only guy who didn’t bite his nails, so I got the job!”
The family connection came full circle when their daughter Charley, now 21, was chosen to model baby clothes at four months old.
“Once she featured in the catalogue, that was like the trilogy,” Steve says.
Louisa is now an artist, while Steve has built a career in advertising. But those gift-wrapping skills still come in handy. Steve is the designated wrapper for every birthday and Christmas!
With David Jones’ future uncertain, the couple hope the treasured institution that’s shaped much of their lives can somehow be saved.
“It’s hard to imagine David Jones not being there,” she says. “It’s been part of our lives for so long.”
After all, David Jones didn’t just help dress their family. It helped make it.
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