Roam wasn't built in a day. It's the newest cafe in Wanganui's Old Town and has taken longer to put together than building owner Hadleigh Reid expected.
He said everything to do with owning or altering the 1900s building has taken longer and been more complicated than he expected.
Dr Reid, a
dentist and the owner of the Victoria Dental practice, bought the building in July last year. Since then he's spent $200,000 on it to repair the roof, plaster and paint the outside, plumb and frame up the upstairs and fit out the cafe. He said he next wanted to move his dental practice upstairs, and would need to spend about that much again.
His father Bruce Reid, a former builder, was the project manager and his cousin Erika Reid was managing Roam cafe, which opened on February 17.
A former Wanganui person she spent the last decade travelling Europe, South America and Asia.
She's never managed a cafe before, but has worked at Caffeine Fixx, Oggies and Indigo in Wanganui.
Her cafe occupies the space of the former Drews Cafe, and has extra adjoining rooms for meetings. It seats 60, has a staff of seven and is open six days a week.
The international theme carries through into the food with Armenian spice cake and French sticky buns. But she said chef Tracey Kerr was good at the Kiwi classics as well.
Dr Reid said the rooms upstairs would eventually hold three dentists, a hygienist, a therapist and a hygiene therapist.
Events in Christchurch have made the owner very thoughtful about how his property would fare in an earthquake. It is classed as earthquake prone, and Wanganui District Council gives owners until 2040 to strengthen their properties.
For his building that would cost about $1 million, and remove many of the heritage features he loves.
"I'm hoping by the time I have to do it they will have figured out some better ways," he says.
