The Tuatara Design Store and Gallery in Bank St was headed for closure this year when the owner found she had to meet family commitments abroad and couldn't find a buyer.
Enter Tracey Deane, an expat Canadian resident in New Zealand for the past 23 years and a big fan
of the shop. She says she couldn't bear the thought of the unique brand disappearing from the CBD and bought the business, supported by a co-operative of Maori artists.
"I've been called brave or crazy or both but my instinct is that the retail scene can only improve, especially where there is a real appreciation of your service and no one else is supplying it," she says.
Tuatara was both retail outlet for Northland and New Zealand artists and a gift store offering quality souvenirs, which Ms Deane described as "authentically Maori, iconically kiwiana or purely designed and made locally".
She said the community of artists and artisans supporting the store were passionate about expressing the vitality of Maori culture and language and the beauty of the New Zealand environment. Most were skilled Northland practitioners. The strong core of the shop would remain Maori art and design and kiwiana but she was also looking to expand New Zealand clothing lines and an eco-skincare range.
