''We were going to have market stalls and entertainment and music, but that's had to be scaled down somewhat,'' she says.
''So [today] is a soft opening and we want hoards of people wanting to get in because we'll still have the same offerings we've had previously.''
Last week Catherine was at the store painting the walls, and said lockdown restrictions hadn't just impacted the reopening date.
''A lot of the volunteers haven't been comfortable wearing masks all day long so we haven't had them all return yet.''
The building has a new ceiling and lighting and one wall has been moved to create even more space.
''The message is, don't expect a massive transformation because it's going to be a work in progress.''
Waipuna Hospice retail business manager James Turner says there will also be a new facade put on the building.
''The veranda at the front is all going to be painted so by the time we're finished it's going to be quite a different store, but we needed to get back here and get operating, even though we aren't 100 per cent complete.''
''It's just going to be a case of let's get everything in the shop so we can trade to make up for lost revenue due to Covid and due to the relocation,'' says Catherine.
James says while it wasn't easy to temporarily relocate the shop, it was important to keep the shop open.
''It's been a lot of work taking a shop apart and setting it up, then taking it apart and moving it and setting it up again. It would have been far easier just to shut the doors for a couple of months, but it is a really important shop for us and it's important that we have a profile in the community.
''Te Puke is part of the Waipuna Hospice catchment. We have a couple of nurses who are out here full time on call and we do a lot of visits and support for people in the community, so it was really important that we maintained that contact and the contact with our customers and our volunteers.''
After moving the store from its original location to its current location and then moving twice to accommodate the refurbishment, Catherine says she hopes the latest move will be the last.
''It shows we are determined to be in Te Puke,'' she says.
''I hope it will [be the last] because it's such a brilliant site here. People know when they come to Te Puke hospice shop that there's loads of parking, we've got a lovely big library that customers do love to come and sit in and read books and read newspapers and hopefully we are getting a permanent coffee cart outside.''
James says the absence of many regular customers while the store was in the town centre has been noticed.
''We've missed the regulars who use to come here. They haven't followed us up there for what ever reason.
"It was a much smaller shop too which meant we couldn't have our full range of products - furniture has always been something that has been an important part of our income stream and we just haven't had the space for it [at the temporary shop].
"Immediately that takes probably a third of our income away while we've been up there."
Waipuna Hospice delivers vital palliative support services, information and advocacy to help people make the most of their lives.
It provides care and support not just for the physical needs, but also emotional, spiritual and social needs. Waipuna Hospice also provides care and support to family and friends, both before and after the death of the loved one.
All funds that come from fundraising and from the shops go directly towards specialist palliative medical care and support services for patients and families in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty living with a chronic, incurable disease.
Everything is at no charge to patients and their families, but hospice services cost a lot to provide. This financial year Waipuna Hospice needs to raise $4.9 million to cover those costs. Grants, bequests, public appeals, events, merchandise and Waipuna Hospice charity shop revenue all help towards this enormous fundraising target.
