Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

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

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

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

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

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 / Rotorua Daily Post

Clothing retailer Lower comes to Rotorua, Arts Village Cafe owners expand, as business confidence grows

Stephanie Arthur-Worsop
By Stephanie Arthur-Worsop
News Director, Rotorua Daily Post·Rotorua Daily Post·
2 Jul, 2020 07:00 PM4 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.

Dion Hose and Bianca Nieuwboer opened Hello Stranger Cafe not long after lockdown. Photo / Andrew Warner

Dion Hose and Bianca Nieuwboer opened Hello Stranger Cafe not long after lockdown. Photo / Andrew Warner

At a time when many businesses are closing or questioning their viability, at least one Rotorua eatery has expanded and a popular clothing brand is entering the local market.

The Arts Village Cafe owner and operator Bianca Nieuwboer spent six months growing her cafe before deciding she was ready for a new challenge.

So in February, the 26-year-old businesswoman started looking for properties in the CBD.

Dion Hose and Bianca Nieuwboer opened Hello Stranger Cafe not long after lockdown. Photo / Andrew Warner
Dion Hose and Bianca Nieuwboer opened Hello Stranger Cafe not long after lockdown. Photo / Andrew Warner
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"People were worried, they told us not to go into town because of problems with the homeless but we wanted to be in the CBD and the rent was reasonable."

Nieuwboer signed a lease for the Pukuatua St property that housed Be Rude Not To cafe before lockdown and reopened it as Hello Stranger Cafe.

"We liked the property because it had a big kitchen, which we are able to use for out-catering as well as for the cafe.

"There have been some renovations but so far it hasn't been too difficult. We've had a good response since opening and I've been enjoying the customer base we have here.

"You would be surprised how many people are walking around first thing in the morning. I'm confident in our decision to open where we have."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Nieuwboer said being an owner-operator and providing something different to the competition were key factors to being successful when starting out.

Meanwhile, popular streetwear clothing brand Lower will open the doors to its new Rotorua store today.

Discover more

How would you rebuild the CBD if given a blank slate?

18 Jul 09:00 PM
Lower is preparing to open its new store in Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner
Lower is preparing to open its new store in Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner

Operations manager Deon Carpenter said the new store, in the Central Mall, had been in the works well before lockdown.

"We've been operating for nearly 20 years and we've always had strong local support in the Bay of Plenty.

"When our lease ended in Pāpāmoa, we knew we wanted to maintain two stores in the region so we looked to Rotorua."

"We had intended to launch on Easter weekend but then Covid hit, which delayed things. But we made a commitment to the mall and we are excited to open this week."

Carpenter said the local market was promising.

"We have been advertising jobs and have been positively inundated with applicants and people saying they were excited to see us here."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When asked why Lower chose Central Mall over one of the empty stores in the CBD, Carpenter said it was primarily because of foot traffic.

"There is also strength in the clothing precinct in the mall being next to Glassons and Hallensteins."

Rotorua Central Mall general manager Peter Faulkner said he was thrilled to have Lower on board.

"The brand carries resonance in their market and they will be a good complement to Glassons and Hallensteins.

"The younger market in particular is excited Lower is coming to town."

Faulkner said the brand was filling the last vacancy within the main Central Mall complex.

"The general feeling out there is that stores are happy with the level of trading activity."

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce executive Bryce Heard. Photo / File
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce executive Bryce Heard. Photo / File

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said the chamber had been receiving quite a bit of positive news of late.

"There is more positive news than negative coming from businesses which is amazing and pleasing to hear.

"We have a lot of glass-half-full people in town. There have been two sides to this Covid story. I think it depends on the type of business you're in but also whether you look at the situation and see the downsides or the opportunities.

Save

    Share this article

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

Latest from Business

Rotorua Daily Post

NZ Super Fund-backed Kaingaroa Timberlands expands with Waikato land purchase

01 Jul 05:43 AM
Premium
Opinion

What’s the market mood at the midpoint?

29 Jun 04:17 PM
Premium
Opinion

Property Insider: Foodstuffs' $380m expansion with new Pak'nSave sites in the works

24 Jun 12:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

NZ Super Fund-backed Kaingaroa Timberlands expands with Waikato land purchase

NZ Super Fund-backed Kaingaroa Timberlands expands with Waikato land purchase

01 Jul 05:43 AM

Kaingaroa Timberlands has bought 9200ha of forestry land in South Waikato.

Premium
What’s the market mood at the midpoint?

What’s the market mood at the midpoint?

29 Jun 04:17 PM
Premium
Property Insider: Foodstuffs' $380m expansion with new Pak'nSave sites in the works

Property Insider: Foodstuffs' $380m expansion with new Pak'nSave sites in the works

24 Jun 12:00 AM
Premium
Opinion: Why stagflation fears are back on the radar

Opinion: Why stagflation fears are back on the radar

22 Jun 04:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

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