Visitors to Rochester’s central business district will have noticed a few positive changes in recent weeks.

Multiple businesses have expanded footprints and offerings, with more than ever available to buy in the heart of town.

Among the growth is The HIVE, which has relocated to a bigger shop at 9 Gillies St, the former site of Petit Vélo after it also upgraded its space.

“It’s so bright and light,” The HIVE volunteer Leonie Gardam said.

“Having the front windows is so much better now because people can see what we are.

“We did outgrow (the old space).”

Sally Bogie is a stallholder at The HIVE, and has enjoyed having a space to showcase her creative pursuits.

More local makers are continually being welcomed at The HIVE, particularly with its expanded footprint.

“It’s been a really good outlet for the stuff I do,” Mrs Bogie said.

“CWA have a store at (Elmore) Field Days, and I’d have a heap of stuff to take out there, but that’s about the only outlet.

“Having (The HIVE) is really good because we get visitors in town, they come in, and they like to find something different.”

Just over the lane is Iddles Lane Emporium, where new owners Alana and Pete Saunders, and their daughters Kaylee and Abbie, are settling in well.

“We’ve been open two weeks ... and I think we’ve had almost every single person in the community at least come in to say ‘hi’ and have a look around,” Mrs Saunders said.

“The feedback’s all been really, really positive, which is nice.

“It’s been a bit of a family affair because we’ve obviously opened at the beginning of the school holidays, so the two youngest have been helping us, which has been lovely.”

The family has been welcomed into their new business by the community, with bouquets from the Wheelie Florist hand-delivered by fellow and former business owners, and pasta bake dropped off by the Cafe Rochester team on opening day.

Mrs Saunders is enjoying hearing feedback about the space, and is happy to expand the store’s offerings where customers see fit.

“We’ve had a few people come in with some ideas, which has been good as well,” she said.

“It’s so hard when you have an empty shop to try and buy everything that everyone needs.

“People have come in and asked for things that I’m like, ‘oh, I did not even think about that’, so we’ve got more orders on the way of all the bits that I forgot.”

Further down Gillies St at number 21, Rochester Sportspower owner Chanal Hartshorne has opened a new business after noticing a gap in the local market.

Lifestyle & Co is focused on women’s leisure wear, shoes, accessories and wellness items, and has been a passion project for Mrs Hartshorne.

“Being a small sports store in a small town, it wasn’t enough,” she said.

“People prefer to wear something that’s more of a lifestyle range than an actual active line ... so I created (Lifestyle & Co) and it was registered this year on March 3, my birthday.

“I wanted to bring something to Rochester that they don’t have.”

Operating on the same site as Rochester Sportspower as well as online, Mrs Hartshorne is continuing to grow her relationships with different lifestyle brands to bring their products to the store.

A key aim of Lifestyle & Co is to provide local customers with goods they would otherwise not see in a small town.

“I thought of it as a one-stop shop,” Mrs Hartshorne said.

“We’ve signed with Oakley, which was huge ... Upstate is new ... I’ve just signed with (cosmetics brand) Runway Room.

“I’m also really big on recovery; I’m the first to do saunas, and now I do outdoor saunas as well.”

Rochester Business Network president Tracie Kyne believes that seeing businesses expand and adapt to challenges is an encouraging sign for the town.

“I think people need to diversify,” she said.

“That’s important in a small community, that if things don’t seem to be working so well, (ask) ‘what do we need to change?’.”

Across the road at Major’s IGA, the store’s footprint is significantly increasing, with construction taking place on either site of its current shop space.

Owner Brad Major said the expansion was going well, with the new-look store set be unveiled in early 2026.

“We’re getting things happening,” he said.

“It’s probably going to be (open) around January, February. There’ll be certain stages it may open up before that.

“It’s an ongoing juggle of trying to trade and do things in an existing store; there are a lot of moving parts.”

The response of the community has been overwhelmingly positive, with staff, customers and tradespeople looking forward to seeing their new IGA.

“Everyone’s really excited actually,” Mr Major said.

“They’re pretty keen to see what’s happening and what it’s going to look like and the end product.

“There’s a bit of suspense behind those walls.”

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Monday, 31st July 2023

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