Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Original sign of iconic Hastings grocery store briefly unveiled during renovations

By Shannon Johnstone
Hawkes Bay Today·
8 Mar, 2020 10:15 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The original signage of Jock Carr's Four Square on Warwick Rd was uncovered during renovations. Photo / Supplied

The original signage of Jock Carr's Four Square on Warwick Rd was uncovered during renovations. Photo / Supplied

The original sign of Jock Carr's Four Square in Hastings was briefly unveiled during exterior renovation work on the Warwick Rd building.

The grocery store was opened in 1963 by Jock and Joyce Carr and was the biggest in Hastings at its time of opening, daughter Sue Hopkins said.

It was before the days of large supermarkets, but the store provided more than an average small store and included a butcher shop.

The unveiling of the sign was a surprise to the family, who didn't know it still lay underneath.

The sign has now been covered by the current owner, but Sue said, "It was lovely to see, it does tug at the heartstrings".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Prior to the opening of the store, Jock ran a smaller shop from the front of their property on the same road, which he opened in 1951.

Hopkins described it as a "meeting spot in the neighbourhood".

"It was a catchup place for the whole community, and everyone got to know each other," she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The couple lived next door to the store with their six children.

Hopkins described growing up and working in the store for pocket money as "a treat".

"It was just a lovely vibe growing up there, you got to know everyone in the neighbourhood".

She has fond memories of the place and said everyone would stop and "have a yarn" with her father when they did their shopping.

"Even when he retired, he would sit outside the house and have a yarn with everyone who came to the shop."

She remembers people coming over after the shop had shut and her dad always giving them what they needed.

"He also would help people out who had tough times," she said.

Daniel Hopkins and Nicole McDonald, pictured here outside the old grocery store, were inspired by their grandparents to start Carr's Kitchen. Photo / Paul Taylor
Daniel Hopkins and Nicole McDonald, pictured here outside the old grocery store, were inspired by their grandparents to start Carr's Kitchen. Photo / Paul Taylor

Grandchildren Nicole McDonald and Daniel Hopkins opened Carr's Kitchen in Hastings, inspired by their grandparents.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"That's where the food passion came from and that's why we opened Carr's kitchen," McDonald said.

Jock retired in 1984 and Sue said it is "lovely the name can continue on in Hastings".

"We've had loads of customers come into Carr's Kitchen with amazing stories from Jocks grocer," McDonald said.

Before the grocery store became a Four Square, Jock would make deliveries on his grocery bike.

Carr's Kitchen has a replica of this bike which many remember.

They also stock pick n mix lollies and homemade chutneys from Joyce's recipes to bring the memories people have of Jock's grocery to their store.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke’s Bay club rugby: Napier’s McLean Park to host 3 finals

11 Jul 04:03 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Fire in Flaxmere garage sends plume of black smoke skyward

11 Jul 01:10 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Mahia Hunt holds final fixture after marking 125th anniversary

10 Jul 09:05 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke’s Bay club rugby: Napier’s McLean Park to host 3 finals

Hawke’s Bay club rugby: Napier’s McLean Park to host 3 finals

11 Jul 04:03 AM

Two Māori All Blacks to play in Maddison Trophy final.

Fire in Flaxmere garage sends plume of black smoke skyward

Fire in Flaxmere garage sends plume of black smoke skyward

11 Jul 01:10 AM
Mahia Hunt holds final fixture after marking 125th anniversary

Mahia Hunt holds final fixture after marking 125th anniversary

10 Jul 09:05 PM
Premium
The humour history of Don Martin: Wyn Drabble

The humour history of Don Martin: Wyn Drabble

10 Jul 07:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP