Tauranga optometrists give almost century-old Rotorua CBD building 'new lease of life'

Two Tauranga business owners have taken over an iconic almost century-old building in the Rotorua CBD to bring their specialist optometry business to the city.

The building at 1202 Pukaki St was built in 1927 and had become a well-known and standout building on the commercial street.

Over the years, it had been a residential house, a dental practice, an insurance broker and the electorate office of former Waiariki MP Tāmati Coffey.

Now Stu Laing and Haidee Mannix, owners of Blur Eyecare, bought it for a price in the $500,000 range to give it "a facelift" and a "new lease of life" rather than bowl down the piece of local history.

Blur Eyecare opened in downtown Tauranga back in 2006 and was bought by the couple in 2013.

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Demand boomed for the boutique optometry store and the couple opened a second site in Mount Maunganui in 2015.

Since then, expanding into Rotorua was something the pair had always had in their sights.

The building has undergone a number of renovations since the Blur Eyecare team moved in. Photo / Andrew Warner

Laing's father had been scrolling through Trade Me when he saw the Pukaki St building pop up, which he said was an "opportunity out of the blue".

He said the building appealed to them firstly because of its affordable price but also because it fitted their aesthetic and they could do a lot with it.

"She has a had few lives this place."

Well-known Rotorua woman Di Donnelly owned the building for more than 20 years prior to the Blur Eyecare sale.

She had wanted it to be preserved rather than knocked down and Laing had been able to lock down the sale within a week when Donnelly found out his plans.

The building was originally a residential property and was built in 1927.

The oldest commercial building in Rotorua was Chandler's Blds built in 1920 and 101 years old.

The building had seen a "facelift" from its former look. Photo / Andrew Warner

Laing and his father had done most of the hard work to revamp the place which had taken a bit of effort.

He noticed it was down the road from a pub and the parking was good and he was sold, he said with a laugh.

He said he thought it will likely be the "last she will get" and he was glad that they could likely give her a "good send-off".

Colliers broker Mark Rendell, who was involved in the building sale, said it was always good to see existing successful companies bring their businesses into the city.

"Whilst it's always good to see new development in Rotorua, in this case it would have meant the demolition of one of our attractive, existing buildings. Instead it is being retained and given a new lease of life thus preserving some of Rotorua's history."

The Pukaki St building stood out on the street over the years. Photo / Supplied

Two optometrists and a dispensing optician were working at the new premises for now but they were looking for new staff all the time, he said.

"I prefer small teams who are jam-packed full of skills."

The store was up and running now, selling optics and doing testing and its grand opening was set down for the end of the month.