Mainstreet Stories

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Creating Space for the Future 

Luxury Escape on Victoria

In Love With Vintage

Heading inside the ArchWest architectural studio of Darni O'Connor and Shannon Lenihan feels more like entering an office in New York than Whanganui - with its open concept, sense of spaciousness, and giant windows which look out onto the treetops along Victoria Avenue. 

With Sauna Sanctuary, Max and Rebekah Butters are making luxury feel attainable. They’ve been operating Sauna Sanctuary for two weeks when I visit, and the location seems an unlikely one for a sauna and cold plunge pool - in an upstairs office building at 56 Victoria
Ave. 

I have a dear friend who understands well the connection between people and objects. Anita, who is amazing at finding treasures in op-shops, believes that in seeking out vintage items people are often looking for things from their childhood that they’ve lost - when their parents split, when the family downsized, moved. 

The Best Bookshop in the World 

Lesley Stead is a difficult person to interview. It’s not that she doesn’t want to talk to me, it’s just that a lot of people want to talk to her. Lesley’s owned Paige’s Book Gallery for 20 years; she’s kind and welcoming, funny and wise, and it’s easy to see how she’s made a place here, at the heart of Whanganui. “I always wanted a bookshop. I reached a point where I thought if I don't do it, at 57, I’ll never do it. 

Spinning Yarns at Whanganui's wonderful wool shop

​Garney Spooner has been a mainstay in Whanganui for 90 years now. First established as a dry-cleaning business in 1931, the family-owned enterprise is still going strong on Guyton Street. However, with the fourth generation of Spooners (Amanda) now at the helm, it’s no longer
​dry-cleaning they’re known for. Instead they're now one of New Zealand’s finest purveyors of wools.

Food in the time of Covid

The impact of Covid, with its lockdowns, capacity limits and ever-changing regulations has pushed bars, cafes and restaurants across New Zealand to their limits. And While Whanganui’s economy has proved more resilient than most, many businesses here have been forced to adapt in order to survive. We caught up with two popular local eateries to discuss the challenges of running a hospitality business in the time of Covid.