16 Mahurangi Matters July 15, 2015 Vintagefeature

Vintagelife FEATURE

MAUNGATUROTO2Nd hANdbUyeRs & selleRs Of

qUAliTy secONd hANd GOOds145 hurndall st Maungaturoto (just 45 mins north of Warkworth)

Open: Mon - sat 9am till 3pm late night Wed till 5pm09 431 8440

furniture, books, clothing, toys, antiques &

collectables, hardware, tools, kitchenware, linen,

gift ideas & more.

We have...

so come in for a browse today,

& maybe lunch at a local cafe!

140 Rodney Street, Wellsford • 09 423 9339 (bus/hrs) • 09 422 9221 (a/hrs) • jic@xtra.co.nz Please call for our current trading hours

RETRO ON RODNEYUNIQUE to ANTIQUE

First Birthday Sale!Discounts on NZ hides, quality furniture, bone handled cutlery, silverware, crystal, china and more!

What started off as an eclectic group of independent store owners has turned into an official trail attracting treasure hunters from across the country.The Matakana Collectables Trail includes six stores from Warkworth to Matakana offering vintage and modern collectables including retro, upcycled and recycled, antiques, art and furniture.Rummage owner Yvonne Clifton says when she moved to the area in 2012 and set up her store she reached out to the other collectable businesses and they decided to work together to promote themselves. It also created a collective of like-minded people who have regular potluck dinners.“We all love what we do and thought we might as well work together. We have a lot more fun this way, we can bounce ideas off one another and share stories.” Despite some crossover in what they offer, Yvonne says each store has its own style, which keeps the trail interesting.“It works great for us because it works for the customers. They are happy to travel to where there are many shops rather than one.” Yvonne says the idea of a trail took off quicker than they expected. Before

Collectors blaze trail to unite Mahurangi vintage vendors

they knew it people were travelling up from Wellington, or driving down from Whangarei. “It’s a really cool place where you can go exploring in a different environment, away from shopping malls. You can take your time and fit it in around

lunch or a stop at the beach.”She says the growth in business also creates extra expectations. As the trail reaches its third year they have all agreed to regular hours, winter and summer seasons, so customers know what to expect.

The trail also continues to evolve, with some new stores coming on board for the summer. The current trail includes A Fine Line, Green With Envy, The Red Barn, Old School, Rummage and Annies.Info: collectablestrail.co.nz

Rummage owner Yvonne Clifton.

17 July 15, 2015 Mahurangi Matters Vintagefeature

Vintage, rare and out of print our speciality

Sourcing hard to find books our pleasure

The bookshop adventure for booklovers

15 Neville St, Warkworth • Phone 09 425 8521 admin@unicornbooks.co.nz • Find & like us on Facebook

Ball Season 2015

Be the best dressed belle at the ball with our fab vintage looks

Under new ownership. New stock in each week

Spend $20 in-store and be in to win a $100 voucher for Matakana Hair Co.**On purchases made before July 31

As shopping and buying online grows with every new digital native coming of age, vintage and collectable stores continue to stand the test of time.Good old-fashioned physical stores, labeled ‘bricks and mortar’ in the digital marketing world, still make up at least 90 per cent of retail sales in New Zealand.Internationally, even online-based businesses are opening boutique physical stores as customers crave connection.It’s no surprise to Margaret Hetherington, who has been selling her quality antiques and coveted collectables at The Red Barn in Warkworth for the past 30 years.While she did notice a down-turn when online stores became more popular 10 years ago, it has never fazed her. Initially it did make a mark on some retailers with heavy overheads who had to close, but for Margaret The Red Barn was part of her property so she was able to absorb it.She has remained consistently busy, with upsurges as trends for vintage come and go with younger people. While she understands the convenience of buying online, Margaret says it’s just not the same as hunting for vintage treasure in real life.“You can’t touch it, you can’t feel it and have a really good look at it. That’s no good.”Margaret’s store is well known for its homely feel, albeit one full of vintage collectables, which you can leisurely potter around in while she works out the back restoring antiques. Rummage owner Yvonne Clifton agrees that a relaxed environment is key and people enjoy taking their time to walk around, rummage and talk about the history of vintage objects.

Out with the new, in with the oldMargaret Hetherington’s The Red Barn is well known for its homely feel.

“People love to share their stories with you. There are not many environments where someone you’ve never met before will quite happily pick up a piece and tell you a story about how they used to have this, what it does, where it came from and how it was made.”Yvonne says when she started her vintage and retro store in Matakana three years ago she didn’t even consider she was competing with digital sales. Instead she embraces it and sells some of her more unique items online. She says it gives her national reach and acts as another sales and marketing channel. But she has more sales in her physical store and says it’s much more fun for her and the clients.