Sunday shopping busy for Picton

Many Blenheim businesses choose to shut up shop on a Sunday, but 30 minutes down the road and Picton businesses say Sunday is often their busiest day.

Portal Jewellery and Design manager Lisa Grant said it was Picton’s beauty that kept people coming through the doors on a Sunday – and often shoppers were from Blenheim. The fact Picton was a terminus for inter-island ferries also helped keep Sundays busy, Grant said.

While some stores, such as Karaka Wood Gallery and Picton Sportsworld, were closed on Sundays, most Picton shops were open.

Choice Gallery manager Sarah Beech said while she had more of a ‘‘touristy shop’’, Sunday trading was still worth it.

‘‘It’s the change of environment here in Picton,’’ Beech said.

‘‘We get a lot of people from Blenheim, but also bach owners and people from Nelson who want to do something for the day.

‘‘If you live and work in town [Blenheim] this is a different environment and a great way to get out on a Sunday,’’ she said.

Both Grant and Beech agreed business was helped by hospitality businesses being open.

‘‘If you’ve got kids, you can come and get an icecream or a coffee and hang out on the foreshore,’’ Beech said.

Gusto cafe owner Gareth Mcglynn said like anywhere, winter could be quieter, but the store also had a lot of people who made the trip to Picton from Blenheim.

‘‘It’s a lot of people’s day off, so why wouldn’t you choose to be open,’’ Mcglynn said.

‘‘In saying that, we do close on a Saturday, but I think if we opened trading would go well.’’

He said over summer it did not matter what day of the week it was, Picton would be busy, often with families with children.

‘‘It’s a relaxed feel in Picton, we’re a service town.’’

Cafe Cortado manager Deepika Khurmi also said Sunday was often its busiest day of the week.

Museum manager Alison Hinkley said Picton appealing to tourists definitely helped with business. ‘‘We’ve got a great view here and we find a lot of people waiting for the ferry or cruise ships will come in and take a look,’’ Hinkley said.

This year the number of cruise ship passengers expected to visit Picton is a record high of 100,000. More than 55 ships are expected in Picton during the 2019-20 season, which kicks off in October, bringing 104,000 passengers and 36,900 crew members.

Destination Marlborough general manager Jacqui Lloyd said tourists often bought things you did not expect.

‘‘Every ship

Lloyd said.

‘‘Some want a muffin and a coffee and stick close to Picton, others look to do something different. The thing with Picton is it connects to the sea, it has a nice hum about it.’’ is different,’’