Passion for fashion?

Valerie Schuler | 10th November 2009

Or is it just sour grapes? New retailers are left wondering after being given the cold shoulder when they tried to set up shop in St Heliers Bay. Valerie Schuler reports.

Marianne Watson, Alicia Readman and Vivienne Gallagher have been friends for many years. Earlier this year, the three women were excited to be going into business together. But things took a sour turn when they set up a fashion store in the heart of St Heliers Bay.

The friends, aged in their 40s, signed a short-term lease and moved into the mall on St Heliers Bay Rd early in August. Their store sold a mix of European fitness gear, evening and daywear. The opening function went well, with people coming from all over Auckland.

But some local shop owners took offence to their new neighbours.

"We were made to feel very unwelcome and kept hearing comments about the fact St Heliers does not need another fashion store. It was very anti-competitive behaviour,'' says Mrs Watson.

It appears some of the mall's tenants took the matter to the landlord. Within a week of setting up their store, Mrs Watson and her business partners - who were subleasing the space on a week-by-week basis from a previous tenant - were asked to leave.

"The landlord basically said that we were competing with other shops and that he had to look out for 'his ladies','' says Mrs Readman. "I asked if we could come to some sort of short-term arrangement, but he said we had to be out by Monday.''

The mall's owner, Brett Lornie of Lornie Properties didn't wish to comment on the situation.

So the three women leased another shop on Turua St, away from the main shopping drag.

The move has been beneficial in the end - the space is bigger, it gets more natural light and business is picking up. But Mrs Watson and her partners say the whole saga should never have happened.

"It's just not a normal retail environment. The clothes we sell are for a completely different demographic. We don't want to kick up a fuss or point the finger at anyone, but this sort of thing is really unfair.''

This is not the first time a new store has felt unwelcome in the genteel beachside suburb - as The Aucklander reported three weeks ago. The Eastern Bays hospice shop also struck opposition from some local retailers when it opened in September.

Wendy Caspersonn, of St Heliers Bay Village Association, says both cases of shunned shops will be discussed at a meeting this week.

"It's just a couple of people who have been there for a long time that feel it's their patch. We all have to work together, and this sort of attitude is not a positive thing for the bay.
These things will come up at the meeting.''

Mrs Gallagher and her friends, all of whom live locally, say St Heliers needs to keep up with the times.

"The demographic is changing. There's been a big gap in the market and new stores opening has got to be good for the community.''