Shopping in the countryside
Isolated shops need to offer a bargain or an experience that’s worth the trip, a retail expert says.
That’s what Mel and Kim Treweek aimed to do when they opened The Christmas Barn on their lifestyle block, 10 minutes’ drive from Palmerston North.
It’s the seasonal gift store’s first year there, and the couple work fulltime in Palmerston North and open the shop on weekends.
They did it for 12 years in Hawke’s Bay, and saw no reason to stop their traditional side business after moving to Manawatu¯ .
The store’s limited run, from Labour Day till Christmas, and seasonal theme helped make it feel special and drew customers in, Mel Treweek said.
‘‘We make sure we have lots of different Christmas gifts and decorations . . . and have a wider range than stores in town,’’ she said.
‘‘There’s a lot of people out there who just love Christmas, and are willing to make the trip for that.’’
Retail NZ spokesman Greg Harford said retailers outside of towns or cities used to be almost exclusively cafes, but the ease of online retail these days had led to rural shops, far from towns or even other businesses, becoming more common. ‘‘They’re often home-based online businesses that grow into a more standard store when they start to need more space.’’
Harford said isolated stores had to be a destination themselves, and relied heavily on social media and word of mouth to convince enough customers to make the trip. ‘‘They need to have a product that’s unique or at a better price than people can get anywhere else. And most importantly, they need to offer a great experience to make the customer feel it was worth the trip.’’
Harford said the majority of destination shops set up on or near main roads, although a few were near tourist attractions – and since businesses attract other businesses, a smattering of retailers would sometimes pop up in an otherwise remote area.