Flooded Napier music shop still has lots of music to come

Dean Mardon puts the sign up and gets to work and getting the shop ready again. Photo / Doug Laing

The needle is off the turntable in Napier CBD's sole locally-owned record and music shop, but hopefully not for long.

Napier's Electric City Music, in the post-earthquake Dalton St Napier CBD building Masson House, has been stripped bare of music and furnishings.

Proprietor Dean Mardon promises it's just a "temporary closure" pending some refurbishment after the ravages of Monday's storm.

Like many others caught in the storm, which hit about the time Mardon was locking up, he counted himself fortunate it wasn't worse.

Most of the collection of about 6000 vinyl albums, tapes and CDs were clear of the floor as the flooding started.

Some boxes at the rear of the store were affected by the water, he said.

"It happens," a philosophical Mardon said.

All the stock was removed, as was the carpet, provoking street-rumour he might have been vacating the business he's operated in the CBD since 1995.

"No," it's not closing," he reassured.

The carpet has also had to be removed and decisions are now with the landlord and insurers on the future cover of the concrete flooring of what appeared an otherwise mainly undamaged shop.

The water came in mainly through the rear, while the street outside the front was a torrent.

Water flowed to the south like a river from the hillsides near Tennyson St to Vautier St, where flooding filled the basement carpark of Vautier House, home of Government agencies Work and Income and Oranga Tamariki.

Mardon opened the shop in Ocean Boulevard, between Dickens and Emerson Sts, in 1995, relocating some years later to the western side of Dalton St and then crossing the road to the current site three years ago.