Before a piece of furniture reaches the showroom floor at Grandfather's Axe, it spends time on a workbench. Joints get re-glued. Frames are straightened. Upholstery is replaced using materials that respect the original design intent. That restoration process is the whole identity of this Collingwood shop — and it separates it immediately from dealers who simply move stock. Ed Klein founded Grandfather's Axe in 2009, and the approach has held steady ever since. The address is 360–364 Smith Street, one of Melbourne's more rewarding streets for design and secondhand furniture hunters.

The showroom reflects what careful sourcing looks like over time. Teak sideboards, slim-legged dining tables, sculptural armchairs and vintage lighting share the floor with Australian mid-century finds. Pieces by Hans Wegner, Børge Mogensen and Hans Olsen appear alongside local discoveries. The displays feel composed rather than crowded — clean lines, muted palettes and occasional accent pieces that genuinely earn their place.

The shop's name carries its philosophy. The idea that an object can change in parts and still remain fundamentally itself shapes how every piece is handled. The emphasis here is preservation, not reinvention. Nothing gets stripped of its character to make it easier to sell. That restraint shows in the finished pieces, and it gives buyers confidence that what they're acquiring is honest to the original design.

Staff can speak to provenance, designer history and the specifics of how a piece was sourced. That depth of knowledge matters most when the stakes are higher — a significant dining set, a named Scandinavian piece, something you're buying to keep. For collectors tracking specific designers in the Australian secondary market, the shop is worth knowing about. Wegner and Mogensen pieces surface here with less frequency than in Europe, which makes a shop that actively hunts and restores them a useful resource rather than an occasional stop.

An online catalogue covers the full range for buyers who can't visit in person — dining sets, daybeds, lighting, storage and decorative objects. A lower price-point selection also makes the shop accessible to buyers who want a smaller entry point before committing to something larger. Stock shifts regularly as new pieces arrive and restoration work turns over, so return visits tend to reward patience.

Grandfather's Axe opens Wednesday to Friday from 11:00 to 17:00, Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00, and Sunday from 12:00 to 16:00. It is closed on Mondays. Smith Street sits within a broader cluster of design and antique dealers in Collingwood, making it straightforward to combine a visit with other specialist stops along the strip.

Getting there by public transport is easy. Tram 86 stops almost at the door — Stop 19 on Johnston Street sits approximately 80 metres away, and Stop 20 on Rose Street is around 150 metres in the other direction. Bus routes 200, 207 and 241 also stop at the Smith Street and Johnston Street intersection, roughly 100 metres from the shop. For those travelling by train, Victoria Park station rail replacement stop is approximately 740 metres away and serves train lines HBE and MDD as well as connecting bus services.