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Shop Vintage Like a Local

If the excellent wine and food on offer in Hawke’s Bay have resulted in the need for a quick wardrobe update (elasticated pants, anyone?) there are plenty of little nooks offering great secondhand retail therapy around our region. Here’s a cheat sheet.

Charleston Chic

Squeezed into a wee space behind the Art Deco Masonic on Tennyson Street in Napier, this is a magpie’s paradise. Glittery brooches, hat pins, winged sunglasses and the city’s most incredible range of deco millinery are what the shop is best-loved for. Reproductions of flapper frocks and velvet shawls line one rack while on another, there are original men’s pin-striped blazers, and drop waisted dresses galore. This is also the perfect place to pick up a pair of gloves, or a piece of retro art. Glorious.

Aroha and Friends

Label lovers will adore Aroha + Friends. The Brand New Secondhand rack at the rear of the store is Napier locals’ go-to for well-priced, New Zealand designer brands and a small number from abroad (think Camilla and Marc, Bassike, Sass & Bide, Anne Demeulemeester). The team here are selective about what they’ll stock and go over every item with a fine-toothed comb, which means you’ll never find pilling on your NomD pullover or a pulled seam on your Salasai skirt. Plenty of fabulous shoes, too, and they cater for both men and women.

Cranford Hospice Shop

In Hastings, head to the Cranford Hospice charity store and spend very little to get quite a lot! You’ll spy furs, sequins and silks in one corner, vintage books and comics on a large rack at the front of the store, and lots of homewares, crystal, crockery, and retro (and very Kiwi) Temuka pottery. They frequently stock a small selection of homegrown produce too – somewhat incongruously, it must be said – such as citrus, quinces, or herbs.

Eimi Reloved

Staying in Taradale? Eimi Reloved is a recycled fashion boutique offering excellent prices on a range of women’s clothing. Popular New Zealand designers such as Ketz-ke, Kilt and Augustine sit alongside good quality high street brands – Max, Storm, and Country Road. The store is well laid out, scrupulously maintained, and there are changing rooms big enough to twirl around in. A treasure in Taradise!

St Andrews Church, Westshore

Here’s a little secret that only the true locals know about – for a few weeks in late January and early February, this teensy op shop opens up its private stash of incredible vintage treasures, just in time for Napier’s famed Art Deco Festival. The staff collect, collate, dust off and darn beautiful items over the course of a year and really know their stuff – they can help pull a whole week’s worth of outfits together, complete with hats, shoes, parasols and jewels. They even have vintage kidswear – braces, waistcoats, sequins and stockings for the little ones. Extremely limited hours, and you’ll be getting changed in the staff lunchroom, but so worth it.