Fashion boutique makes bold move
The Hurunui District was in the grips of an unprecedented three years of drought.
As a result, the economic downturn had most in the region tightening the purse strings.
Meanwhile, Hannah Thomson and Julia Teutenberg made the decision to open a high-end fashion store in Amberley.
‘‘It does sound crazy but we were confident in the business model we had,’’ Thomson said.
‘‘We saw a gap in the market – there was nothing like this in Amberley.
‘‘For us to go shopping we were heading to Christchurch or Rangiora, and so were a lot of our friends and the wider community. Why shouldn’t they be shopping in Amberley and if we bring that to them, why couldn’t it work?
‘‘We floated the idea, talked about whether we should or we shouldn’t, the risks involved, and then we possibly had a few wines and decided to do it.’’
The pair found a space to rent in Amberley and everything else fell into place.
Things were going well.
Then the earthquake struck. ‘‘It was our first year so we had nothing to compare it to, but we were told the earthquake had a major impact on business here.
‘‘The wider business community is feeling it the same. It is hard.
‘‘We have been through a lot in the last few years, with three years of drought before the earthquake, so what else can you do but be positive? There is no point dwelling on what happened.’’
They employed a business mentor who advised the ‘‘biggest hurdle was not being on the main road’’ and to grow, they needed to raise their online presence.
After a year in business, they had built a strong online following and, with traffic steadily returning to normal along State Highway 1, they made another bold move.
‘‘When an opportunity came up to get onto the main road we jumped at it to get past that hurdle.’’
Having been in The Sheds complex on Amberley’s main street for just over a week, Thomson said they have already noticed an increase in foot traffic, and hope it continues.
The past year has been a huge learning curve for the pair.
‘‘We were probably quite naive in that we thought we would open the door and people would come in. We would work our days and that’s it. But we work our day and then go home and work.
‘‘We have learned a lot about ourselves, juggling jobs of being a mum – Julia has two children and I’ve got three – and running a business.
‘‘We are passionate about the business but we are mothers first and foremost.
‘‘You have the guilt about not doing enough for the business and guilt you’re not doing enough for the kids.
‘‘It’s a juggle and it’s hard. We lean on each other, and our group of friends – after all it takes a village – and you just make it work.’’