Crushes Is Reimagining The Department Store For A New Era On Karangahape Rd

Crushes is set to take over a historic corner of Karangahape Rd, with a space that reimagines the department store and welcomes community. Co-founder Rose Hope tells Madeleine Crutchley what to expect from Crushes’ next life.

Figures draped in gothic silks, lace and leather gathered outside 225 Karangahape Rd on Monday night for an exceptionally well-dressed and whimsical “funeral”.

Rose Hope and the team at boutique Crushes welcomed their community to the storefront, making a toast to the 13 years they spent in the space. Then, they led the campy procession, who clasped bouquets of white lilies and vintage handkerchiefs, two doors down to their new location in a historic setting.

Today, Crushes opened its new shop on the corner of Karangahape Rd and Pitt St, welcoming a queue of shoppers and neighbours who were first in-store at 10am.

The store, which also features a roomy basement floor, is nestled within the historic pink Pitt St Buildings, constructed in 1904. The site has hosted various tenants, most recently functioning as an exhibition and show space for emerging designers at Te Wiki Āhua O Aotearoa. Most notably, the site was the long-term residence for menswear retailer Leo O’Malley, which was established in 1935 and shuttered in 2019.

The opening fulfils a dream for Hope, who recalls memories of the storefront from adolescent wanderings up and down Karangahape Rd.

“It truly is a very striking space with that corner profile.”

It is an end and beginning for Crushes, which has stocked vintage and second-hand clothing alongside NZ-made homewares, art and slow fashion since its beginnings in 2011 (Hope opened the first location with Sarah Firmston in 2013).

The new space, which Hope estimates is six times bigger than their last, will more closely resemble that of a department store.

There will be islands and zones for shoppers to peruse, and multiple vendors will occupy the space. For their equivalent of tearooms, mugs of Thea matcha will be on offer, as well other sellers of vintage menswear. Crushes also expects to host other creatives in future.

Beyond her love for the experience a department store can offer, Hope believes this model can help founders to share the load.

“Collectivising creates this really healthy business. Instead of a really scary, risky upgrade, it becomes this calming sharing of resources.”

The move also signals a growing focus on the events that have become increasingly important to Crushes’ community. Crushes Social Club launched in 2022, inviting people to take part in clothing swaps, knitting circles, book clubs, film festivals, mahjong tournaments and classes on tatreez (Palestinian embroidery).

Hope is excited to host in a space large enough to accommodate those who want to attend their workshops, pop-ups and exhibitions. There are plans for a community noticeboard that will spotlight activity within the surrounding precinct.

Overall, the move aims to reframe Crushes as a platform.

“Crushes is essentially going to become [a] curator and facilitator that brings small business and creatives to a really hungry and eager audience,” Hope says.

Headlines this year have highlighted the difficulties for businesses along Karangahape Rd and Hope herself says it has been a “hard winter”.

What makes the founder so hopeful about retail on the strip?

There is her own daily routine spent visiting owner-operator businesses, such as No. 7, the Lebanese Grocer and Lambs Pharmacy (she laughs comparing her wholesome hellos to those you might see in Noddy).

There are the changing attitudes of shoppers, which Hope notes among those shopping in-store for labels such as Riel, Caitlin Snell, Huhu Studio, Rhoda Nunn, Sleeping Profit and Mima Kitchen. They are coveting NZ-made slow fashion pieces with less protest of the pricing it takes to sustain it.

“I think we have moved on in our understanding of production and manufacturing, and people know the worth of local craft and artisanship. There’s money for it and it’s really exciting.”

But more broadly, there are incoming changes set to transform the precinct. The City Rail Link (CRL) Karanga-a-Hape Station is scheduled to open in 2026 and the council and community are anticipating its impacts. The corner is in direct view of the station entrances.

Crushes is taking full advantage of the location, stickering the storefront with its points of pride: NZ MADE, SLOW FASHION, CREATIVITY & COMMUNITY.

“It does feel like the street is changing and on a precipice of people truly valuing it and being able to access it.”

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