I’m a city kid. I grew up in Linwood which, though not in the middle of town, is only a 10-15 minute bus ride to Cathedral Square (back when Cathedral Square did double duty as transport hub and spiritual centre of the city). So unlike folk who grew up in the outer suburbs our family spent a reasonable amount of time “in town”. The loss of central city retail as a result of the Christchurch earthquakes was a real blow for me. I was living within the four aves at the time of the quakes and moved back there as soon as I was able to secure accommodation.
So I have a fondness for the Re:Start Container Mall and the businesses that operate within it. Without this most colourful and unorthodox of shopping complexes my beloved central city would be even more of a ghost town than it is. It must surely be an act of bravery to open a business under such circumstances with short-term leases, a store that has to up and move as building developments dictate, and no guarantee that “if you build it, they will come”. Market rents and a public more and more wedded to the suburban mall as destination shopping means nothing is guaranteed.
One of these stores is called HAPA and it’s run by an incredible pair of charming, driven, and stylish women called Maureen Taane and Yuri Bacas Hosaka. Right before the grand opening of Re:Start they invited me into the construction site and gave me a tour. On opening day my fiancé was their first customer and I was their second. Over the intervening years we’ve become regular customers. We even loitered around outside for a touch of royals spotting once. It’s a cosy, stylish hub in a central city that still has a long way to go.
What’s so great about HAPA? Read my write up and interview with co-owner Maureen Taane, HAPA Design Store: Loving the local.
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