A litle country village romance never hurt anyone
Millie and I live in paradise. Greytown in the South Wairarapa is our adopted home town; we love its weather, rural surrounds, charming village and mostly, its wonderful sense of community. We are also privileged to operate Blackwell and Sons out of one of Greytown’s most historically beautiful buildings. We bike to work, to the supermarket, to see our friends for dinner and sometimes we bike just for the pleasure of being on our handmade British Pashley bicycles. Being together here is everything; it feels deeply satisfying to have reached a time in our lives where a bigger house, or a fancier car or a Lotto win couldn’t possibly make us any happier.
Most years, our other work takes us to the US between March and September. Millie is the CEO of Showcase Software and I run a creative agency called Stun. Our home in St Helena, in California's Napa Valley, is a little slice of paradise and in this image, Millie and I are on the Main Street heading up to our favourite café. This year, Covid19 has kept us safely at home in NZ and we stay in touch with our friends and associates in St Helena online.We hope to be back in the US in 2021. At least our Pashley bicycles are in safekeeping, awaiting our arrival!
I’m writing this on a warm Spring afternoon in my office at home and every few minutes, I’m distracted by a Greytown local cycling past our house. None of them are in a hurry. Most of them are riding Pashleys. Some of them have their pets in their bicycle baskets. Mums and Dads are riding with their kids. Many are senior citizens discovering how fantastic cycling can be with electric assist. And all of them seem to be riding for the sheer joy of it. For so many locals, our little bicycle store plays a role in these moments of their lives. Of course it’s pleasing to know that our business is successful, but for Millie and I, we genuinely love seeing personal relationships, physical health and appreciation for the beauty of our town enhanced by something as simple as a bicycle. That’s a level of shareholder return that’s meaningful to us.
Recent months have brought thousands of visitors to our emporium and we’ve been delighted to meet so many people who are eager to tell us they have seen our previous stories. Some of our store guests have made a special trip to Greytown to visit us. Many take photos of our building. And for those that are pursuing the dream, we help them test-ride their favourite Pashley. Shane carefully assembles the bicycle they have chosen, and in most cases schedules a personal free delivery to their home anywhere in NZ where he makes any final adjustments to ensure the bicycle and the new owner are a perfect fit.
Does this all sound like an idyllic fantasy? For Millie and I, plus Michelle, Trish and Shane (our Greytown team) it’s what we do every day to bring the romance alive for our wonderful customers nation-wide.
If it sounds like your kind of dream, start at blackwellandsons.nz or book a weekend in the town we are so proud of, so we can welcome you in person.