Level three all sewn up

Google search data for the past week has provided a telling insight into how Marlburians plan to ride out alert level three.

The number of searches on Google involving the word ‘‘Blenheim’’ doubled over the past week, as people hit the internet to find stores open with contactless trading.

The largest increase over the week to Wednesday was, of course, for takeaways; searches for KFC Blenheim went up 750 per cent, and Pizza Hut Blenheim was up 400 per cent, according to Google Trends data.

But a surprising third equal was The Sewing Store, which had a 350 per cent jump in search results on Google.

Owner Anna Hamann said the store certainly felt a ‘‘disorganised kind of busy’’ since opening on Tuesday.

‘‘We’ve had a lot of inquiries, mainly for small items that people have run out of like elastic, or they’re knitting something and they need an extra ball of wool,’’ Hamann said.

‘‘It does indicate the sort of activities people have been doing in lockdown.

‘‘It was frustrating to get those messages during lockdown and being unable to help, but now it’s nice to get these requests coming through, especially when we get to see pictures of what they are working on.’’

Many customers said they had picked up projects from up to 20 years ago while stuck at home on lockdown, Hamann said.

‘‘A lot of older people, but a lot of younger people too. We’ve got a huge demographic. And we don’t find the older people any less tech-savvy, they’re able to show us what they need on Facetime or with photos.

‘‘We’ve had to be a lot more descriptive to find the right thing. Leanne was just saying she will be able to put ‘personal shopper’ on her CV after this.’’

The Sewing Store had divided into sections so staff could keep their bubbles intact, Hamann said. ‘‘Everybody has an individual workstation, they’ve got their own order forms and their own phones, so everybody knows what they’ve touched.’’

Customers were able to order items or alterations by phone or email, with contactless pick-ups or drop-offs through the window.

‘‘It’s so strange because you have to second-guess everything... it’s been a steep learning curve.’’

The Vines Village also recorded a 350 per cent increase in Google searches, after coowner Jeff Fulton announced on Tuesday its cafe, deli and tap room were to be sold, due to the financial toll of alert level four.

Other popular searches involving Blenheim included Bunnings, Placemakers, Mitre 10, The Funky Fish, Domino’s Pizza and Pita Pit.

To compare, the highest searches involving the word Blenheim during April last year related to The Warehouse, aviation and the air show, wineries and the cinema.