Dirty Jane's is on its way to Canberra, part of Fyshwick's vintage evolution

While the name might suggest something more suited to Fyshwick's salacious reputation, Dirty Jane's is looking to be a major boon for the suburb, bringing locals and visitors alike to a huge warehouse of vintage and handmade items, with owner Jane Crowley saying she will be sharing the space with 90 small businesses.

Dirty Jane's in Bowral is an institution in the Southern Highlands and Mrs Crowley hopes the same for the Canberra market, which is being housed permanently in a former geological survey building in Fyshwick.

"Canberra is a beautiful city, it really is. We think there's a need for this kind of thing, for vintage," she said.

"I'm a big believer in adding to the mix. We're not here to force anyone out."

The business, which will open on March 25, will also include a cafe, garden, children's playground and even pygmy goats and chickens. The cafe will be called Billy T's, run by Caleb Evans. His partner in the new cafe is the Tea Garden Company.

"We're going to have a big window where you can see the tea being made, all the rosemary and lavender mixing in with the tea leaves," she said.

Dirty Jane's - the name is a nod to an inventive convict girl called Jane Dumphrey - is a collaboration with Mrs Crowley's father Athol Salter, who had a popular antiques business in Hall called, simply, Antiques Hall, during the 1970s and 1980s.

Mrs Crowley spent some of her childhood in Canberra, attending Lyneham Primary, and later studying communications at the University of Canberra.

"Ever since I was 13, the thing dad and I did on a Saturday morning was go to garage sales," she said.

That developed into father and daughter starting a business importing furniture, Mrs Crowley based for a time in England, sending containers of finds back to Australia.

Mr Salter, 81, is still a big part of the business, as is Mrs Crowley's husband, Bob.

The concept for Dirty Jane's is Mrs Crowley creating a beautiful place from which others can lease a spot.

She has interviewed every person going into the new Canberra market so there is a broad range of goods for sale.

"There needs to be something for everyone, whether it's for your husband or 16-year-old daughter," she said.

While the 90 small businesses will have a one-stop shop to trade from, Mrs Crowley will sell her own imported items - "faded Hollywood glamour" finds from the United States and "beautiful, more rustic" things from Europe. She will employ eight staff in Canberra.

Her focus is on vintage, antique, reclaimed, recycled, upcycled.

"We swim against the tide of mass consumption," she said.

The Canberra store was still being renovated this week but signs of what to come were obvious - customers will walk through doors recovered from the Royal Hotel at Bowral. Mrs Crowley on Friday was busy sanding back another pair of three-metre high wooden doors she brought back from Europe. A taxidermied horse stands, wrapped up, ready for a big reveal.

Mrs Crowley, who previously had The Shed in Mittagong, before opening Dirty Jane's in Bowral 11 years ago, said she never wanted her business to get too big. She wants to keep her finger on the pulse.

"We don't ever want to get to the stage of not knowing what our customers are feeling when they walk through the door," she said.

And she was focused on all the details.

"People tell me I'm a true Virgo. I can see the big picture and I'm a bit of a perfectionist," she said.

"Even though we deal with the wonkiest, donkiest stuff, it has to be right."

The new store is at the back of Domayne in Fyshwick, looking out to trees and the train line.

Mrs Crowley says it feels just right for her plans, which include occasional outside markets with people selling items such as bread and cheese.

Coming to Canberra was a leap of faith, but one she believes in.

"It's a big investment," she said. "I feel very lucky our business is at a stage we can do it."

And there is potential to market Fyshwick as a vintage lovers' paradise with other established businesses such as recycled upmarket clothing store Material Pleasures, newer players such as the Designer Op Shop Emporium and numerous antique outlets.

Dirty Jane's in Canberra will be open seven days, from 10am to 5pm.