Surprises in store at former Valley dairy
Keeping one business open during a pandemic is tough, but a Nelson cafe owner has embraced the challenge by opening another outlet in winter.
The Garden Window opened its new Country Store in Washington Valley at the start of June, adding to its Greenmeadows Centre cafe in Stoke and established kiosk at the rear of Isel House.
The kiosk is closed during winter but the Greenmeadows cafe has remained a popular venue for tennis players, walking groups or casual coffee drinkers since it opened in March 2019.
The new store, in the former Washington Valley Rd dairy, aimed to provide its usual line up of coffee and cabinet food, but with a healthy twist on the traditional convenience store model.
‘‘We’re just working on a slightly different angle – because that traditional dairy is gone now there’s a need to reinvent that to be more modern,’’ owner Lynley Gilchrist-Lunn said.
‘‘People want different things and this is a different face for us too because to some people we don’t exist because we’re out in Stoke.’’
Both gourmet – think steak and wine or free-range chicken – and ‘‘tradie’’ varieties of pies will still be available, but so will a range of plant-based and vegan options as part of the health and wellness focus of the store.
As well as the coke machine, and chocolate, there will be fancy bread on the weekends, and Oaklands fresh milk.
Following the closure of Gre3n Superfood and Juice Bar in Tahunanui, chef Kaz Yates has come on board to run the Washington Valley Rd store.
Yates acknowledged there was now a gap in the market that she hoped to fill by offering a ‘‘wellness hub’’ with courses being run on-site and smoothies, protein shakes to wellness shots.
‘‘What we’re interested in doing is letting people know there is some alternative food options out there.
‘‘In my opinion this is the next area close to town that’s up and coming and there’s currently not a lot else like this in the area – so we’ve put something in there for that reason.’’
Gilchrist-Lunn said her latest project aimed to bring their product closer to Nelson city, while also keeping her staff in a job during a challenging period for the hospitality industry.
‘‘Everyone’s had different reasons for why it’s been difficult – for us this came about at the end of the season when hours would be cut back anyway.
‘‘You have to find a way to keep staff on for hours that just aren’t there anymore.
‘‘When this came up I thought it would be a great opportunity to get into that area – it keeps my people employed and it’s such a great spot.’’
Besides the consumable products, the new store hoped to encourage a family-based atmosphere, enhanced by locallyproduced art works and a piano in the Community Corner.
‘‘It’s all a work in progress – we’ll start talking to people and find out what they want and go from there.’’