This is an extract from the April 2024 e-Newsletter

North Canterbury Creative (NCC) has recently launched a new venture in Kaiapoi.

NCC Founder Robyn Matheson is a Kaiapoi local and has been a long time exhibitor of her crafts at markets, noticing that North Canterbury was lacking a regular indoor craft market, she started monthly markets at the Kaiapoi Club in June last year, before expanding to Rangiora.

She has also started doing a monthly pop up market at Northwood which has bought in many new stallholders and market goers.

The Emporium in Kaiapoi is Robyn’s new venture which opened in March. The store is located next to the SPCA Op Shop in Kaiapoi. Similar to a co op shop, Robyn charges a small weekly rental to merchants to sell their products there.

They have products from up to 60 small businesses available for purchase. Sprinkles Bakehouse (formerly called All Caked Up By Lisa, another Kaiapoi local) is an anchor stall holder with a permanent counter in the Emporium offering takeaway coffee and delicious sweet treats five days a week.

NCC also recently took over the bimonthly North Canterbury Holistic Markets at Ashgrove School.

Robyn says the Emporium has been really busy since the day it opened.

“People love coming in and supporting local. This is not only a great option for shoppers but it also means that our stall holders can sell and showcase their crafts without needing to be in store.

“Often our stallholders are working other jobs and their crafts are enterprises they have on the side. This is also a great sustainable business model – we are in easy walking distance in the town and we are a one stop shop so people aren’t driving their cars all over the District to go to different shops.”

Lisa Stewart from Sprinkles Bakehouse says it’s great to be able to work in a place with shared overheads. She said the energy costs and rent that individual businesses would have to pay is cost prohibitive to many.

“You would have to pay four to five times the price. This is a much more sustainable way to do business. Everything under one roof.”

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