Adam Charif opened The Shed in Fyshwick in September 2025, inspired by The Green Shed. Photo: James Coleman.
Canberra’s fast-growing second-hand store, The Shed, has locked in a new home after months of searching – and it’s staying in Fyshwick.
Founder Adam Charif has confirmed The Shed will move from its current Geelong Street site to Building 4, 1 Dairy Road, Fyshwick, with the new space opening on 1 March, the same day the old site closes.
The move follows a massively successful first six months for the business – even if it’s been a very frustrating hunt for somewhere new to land.
What is The Shed?
The Shed opened in September last year in a small brick building at 3/34 Geelong Street, Fyshwick, pitching itself as ‘Canberra’s home of second chances’.
It’s a low-cost second-hand store built around reuse, recycling and access – $5 clothes and shoes, cheap household goods, and a growing free section for kids’ and baby items (including prams, cots and more)
Mr Charif, who also runs removalist business Adam and His Truck and the Queanbeyan Markets, spent seven years working at The Green Shed’s Mugga Lane facility, including five years as a supervisor.
“The Green Shed was like a family to me. They really mentored me and set the standard for how I’ll run The Shed,” he told Region.
His motivation for the business was personal.
“I grew up with nothing – I had like wax cardboard in the bottom of my shoes with the holes. I starved as a child,” he said.
“For me, throwing things out in landfill, it crushes my heart, because there are so many people who have nothing at all.”
How’s it been going so far?
Six months in, Mr Charif says the response has exceeded anything he expected.
“[The community response] has been so overwhelming. I’m an emotional person, and I’ve had many times when I’ve just broken down and started crying,” he said.
“It’s beautiful. The community just shows you how important the recycling industry is.”
The Shed attracts a broad mix of shoppers: young people seeking $5 clothing and shoes, recent graduates setting up their first home with kitchen items and furniture, families after items in the free kids’ section and, increasingly, collectors hunting for VHS tapes and uranium glass.
The Shed takes donations seven days a week- even if they’ve had to start being picky on some items. Photo: James Coleman.
“The free section of the kids’ stuff, the baby stuff, that’s all free … that’s been going nuts,” he said.
“And speaking to a young girl today who makes her side money by cleaning or mending some clothes and putting it on Depop or something like that, I think, ‘You know, good on them’.”
At times, donations have even included fresh produce like tomatoes and potatoes, which disappear almost instantly.
The downside? Space.
“We are very full in Fyshwick,” Mr Charif said, with some bulky furniture like couches and lounge suites now being limited because not everything moves quickly.
The Shed’s new location is slightly smaller on the inside – but bigger on the outside. Photo: James Coleman.
The search for a new home
The Shed’s original lease was due to end in December. It was extended to March, but staying wasn’t an option.
What followed, Mr Charif says, was an “impossible” search.
“I got zero response from the government,” he said, after months contacting Access Canberra about renting various empty blocks of land elsewhere in Fyshwick, and also Hume.
“I’m just talking about an empty block of land … I was planning to put some 40-foot shipping containers on there with a dome over the top, and if we could, put a shed on there … But they just don’t comment. It’s actually extremely frustrating.”
The breakthrough came through Molonglo Group, the architecture firm that owns the Dairy Road precinct.
“I sent them a message … and they came to the party and said we can offer this one for three years for you,” he said.
What’s next for The Shed?
The new site is slightly smaller inside but comes with a large outdoor area and, most importantly, toilets.
“It has disability ramps, it’s air-conditioned, there’s toilets, accessible toilets, a change room, a little private carpark, beautiful surrounding gardens,” Mr Charif said.
“It’s across the road from Under Bakery, Brodburger, Capital Brewery, and Barrio Coffee. It’s going to be a great destination.”
The extra outdoor space will allow more garden gear, mowers, and outdoor furniture, but even if they have to be more selective with indoor stock, there’s a plan for that.
“There’s talk we could start our own free Facebook Shed page for people where, if we can’t accept it, they can post it there for free.”
Just some of the items donated to The Shed. Photo: The Shed, Facebook.
To help clear stock before the move, Mr Charif is considering an “all-you-can-carry” sale, ahead of shelving and stock shifting to Dairy Road from 12 February.
The Geelong Street store will close on 1 March – and Dairy Road will open the same day. And The Shed may not stop there either.
“There’s been a call for us to open something northside, like Belconnen way. We’re not doing that just yet, but we are looking at our options to see if it’s feasible. Again, it’s all about finding an empty block of land we can use in a way that’s affordable,” Mr Charif said.
The Shed is open at 3/34 Geelong Street, Fyshwick, until 1 March, when it also opens at Building 4, 1 Dairy Road, Fyshwick. Visit the Facebook page for more information.
