New shops, new signs of growth on Stafford St

New businesses are opening in downtown Timaru in changes some say are linked to the development of new markets in the town.

The businesses are opening as a clutch of shop fronts remain empty along Stafford St and as some businesses prepare to shutup-shop altogether.

There are 14 empty shops facing Stafford St. As reported yesterday, they will be joined by How’s This For Pets, which will shut on June 30.

Further down Stafford St, other new businesses are optimistic they have opened at a time of potential growth in downtown Timaru.

Na Yang is the owner of Cest La Vie, a new variety and import shop that opened last week.

Yang is based in Christchurch but said she saw good business potential in Timaru: ‘‘Timaru is a quite a big town, people will buy stuff.’’

The shop is managed from Christchurch but the Timaru premises will exclusively emplloy locals, she said.

Pat Tupuola also opened The Lord of the South Barbershop, next door to Cest La Vie, last week.

Tupuola, who has won awards for hairdressing and worked as a barber in Melbourne and Christchurch, said opening an upmarket men’s barbershop has been his life’s dream.

He decided to commit to the idea while working as a barber at Snippitz, on Church St.

Ecomist Mid-South Canterbury, a pest control shop, will open on the south end of Stafford St within the next few months, at the site of the old South City Cafe.

Michael Sullivan said he was also considering opening a cafe next to Ecomist to provide lunch and coffee for workers at that end of town.

Elsewhere, City of Spices, Timaru’s only large format Asian groceries and wholesale spices shop, opened on North Street in March.

Manager Amar Goraya has arrived from Christchurch to manage the shop. It is capitalising on the growing south Indian and east Asia population in Timaru, Goraya said.

The business was established after Goraya and Aucklandbased owner Samantha Chaudhry saw there were no comparable businesses in Timaru, Goraya said.