IT used to be the place to go if you wanted to buy a new sofa.
But the furniture sales staff have moved to new premises down the road and these days visitors to 36 Bridge St, Ahuriri, are most likely to be offered a cup of coffee and ushered into one of several meeting rooms to talk about business development.
The former bonded store, which became a Big Save Furniture retail outlet, has had another refit and is now the Hawke's Bay Business Hub - a group of business support services aimed at growing the region's economy.
The hub has its official opening on May 14 but the agencies involved - including Business Hawke's Bay, economic development divisions of the local councils, and government departments - have been in the building for the past two to three weeks.
The combined space has been well received by the new tenants, says Business Hawke's Bay chief executive Susan White, and offers a valuable mix of office space and break-out meeting rooms, as well as a well-equipped "front-of-house" private cafe and reception area.