9 hours ago
Queuing for brunch and browsing the shops a rose tinted memory in Ponsonby
Ponsonby Road
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A Ponsonby business says landlords are willing to let some of Ponsonby road's more well-known shops empty out in order to keep the rents high.
Some who still have shops say the famous road's flavour is shifting from having a balance of creativity and fashion combined with restaurants - to leaning heavily in favour of hospitality.
And some feel that it is a sway in the wrong direction - with Ponsonby's struggle becoming another suburb's gain.
A quick Google search brings up over 100 results for retail spaces for rent in Ponsonby.
It is not surprising considering many well-known businesses have shut up shop on Ponsonby Road.
Local fashion icons and mainstays on the road like Zambesi, Kate Sylvester, Juliette Hogan and Carlson are among them.
Flotsam and Jetsam vintage homeware store is on that list, and owner Cam said retail margins are so slim that there is not enough turnover to pay rent.
Last year they had a new landlord and with that came higher rent on top of lower foot traffic and sales.
After 14 years, they moved last May from their spot on the corner of Williamson Ave and Ponsonby Road to Richmond Road in Grey Lynn.
Cam said landlords have not learnt from what he calls "the demise" of Parnell Road when the ratio of hospitality to retail businesses got out of whack.
"When the balance of hospitality and retail sway the wrong way to too much hospitality, I think it ruins an area.
"Even though the nightlife and the bars and the hospitality is a big part and it's a reason why a lot of people go there then so was retail as well."
Now in Grey Lynn, the biggest difference has been customers being able to find parking.
Cam said the face of Ponsonby has changed a lot over the last decade.
"You know the changing face of retail, there just isn't going to be character shops around anymore, and I think people spending differently moving into apartments, young kids, not buying houses.
"We might wake up one day and there won't be shops around."
San Ray Restaurant took a leap of faith and opened for business on Ponsonby Road last July.
Co-owner Rebecca Schmidt said things were worse than they expected.
"The recession has been grittier than we anticipated.
"We are aware of the circumstances that we're operating in, but people are finding it really tough out there and the lag I guess is deeper and longer than we had hoped for."
While the festive season was a circuit breaker for businesses by providing a sugar hit, the last financial year and the first quarter of this year have been really challenging.
"You can see that in the foot-fall on the street, it's significantly down, just people being out and about and then the customer behaviour when they are out, which we really understand.
"There's a lot of small, shared plates right now because that's what is within reach for many people."
They are trying to make their space welcoming for a glass of wine and piece of cheese or even just a coffee, hoping they can wait it out and eventually welcome customers back for full meals.
They are keeping their staffing tight over the winter and not drawing from the business to pay their staff and suppliers first.
Schmidt said there has been radical change they did not anticipate when they opened with long established neighbouring businesses not renewing their leases.
"Ponsonby struggle is another suburb's gain right now, it's really interesting seeing some smaller suburbs doing well with independent businesses. Birkenhead is a good example.
"Some nice new retail shops there, some great restaurants humming along Westmere, another really good example that probably is at Ponsonby's expense."
Meanwhile down the three lamps end of Ponsonby Road a new flavour of business was brewing as part of a $14 million penthouse development to be completed next year with retail and hospitality spaces available to rent.
Mecca beauty store, menswear brand Rodd and Gunn and the Lodge Bar were already onboard hoping to buck the trend.
