Owners selling remote East Coast store after seven years thank community

Rick and Roslyn Metcalfe outside the Four Square Matakaoa store in Te Araroa, which they are selling after seven years. Photo / Supplied

The owners of a remote East Coast store want to thank their community for its support as they sell and move on after seven years.

Roslyn and Rick Metcalfe moved from Auckland and bought Four Square Matakaoa in Te Araroa, which has a population of less than 200, in 2018.

After seven years serving the community, their last day running the store is this Sunday.

The Metcalfes are hopping coasts, to Taranaki, where they will run the larger Four Square New Ōpunake they have recently purchased.

The couple are leaving after completing a renovation of the Te Araroa store earlier in the year.

Roslyn said they decided to move because of the opportunity to run a newly built store.

“The new owners coming in might have fresh new ideas to add to it for the community,” she said.

“We wanted to thank the community for all their support because, without them, we would not have done what we have done.”

She wished the new owners the best.

She and her partner have had “so many” farewells over the past month as the news spread through their community.

“Even though we weren’t from here, they [welcomed] us from day one and they supported the shop.

“We just invested everything we had back into the shop, and that showed the community we were here for them. In every Four Square, you should be there for the community, not have them be there for you.”

Roslyn said the most challenging part of the past seven years had been getting stock to the store.

“Resilience is what you have got to have down here. Working tightly with Civil Defence, because they are the rock of the town, and we are the supplier to make it happen with them.

“Definitely, we will miss this place, the community, because they are a community that is resilient. They are a community that, when they all pull together, something happens.”

She said the most rewarding part of owning the shop had been their staff.

“Words can’t explain how I can thank the staff that we have had for many years.

“The staff are the ones who made us into what we are now because, without their knowledge, without their commitment, without their work ethic, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.

“We are so proud of them and that will be the saddest, saying goodbye to them.”

Roslyn didn’t have any special plans for their last day, which is also the store’s stocktake day.

“We are truly blessed to be leaving everything in good hands and to have a community that says they will pop into Opunake to see us.”