Sally Paterson & Sarah Gamble
Business owners at Shopology
The first thing that struck us was their unwavering passion for what they do but also their genuine excitement for Christchurch and the City Centre’s future.
Celebrating their 4th Birthday in the Riverside Lanes they were very thankful to the developers who had the foresight in putting the Riverside Market and its Laneways together. They were drawn to the concept as it fitted perfectly with their brand of being authentic, supporting the small business owner and the local producer.
Both Sally and Sarah have both owned and operated other successful businesses and their Shopology journey like many others post-earthquake is an interesting one, having navigated many turbulent times.
They first met through their children and immediately hit it off as they share a similar passion for creativity and supporting local producers.
The Shopology story started as a pop-up in Re:START the container mall back in 2016 where they took up residence in the one of container spaces previously occupied by the Contemporary Lounge.
Starting off very small and only occupying a small part of the quite large space until they grew their true local co-operative, providing space and opportunity for many small local artisans to reach a wider audience
When Re:START came to an end, they went on the search for a new frontier and they found a beautiful space on the second floor of the Art Centre.
Having the ability to be nimble helped them survive the tricky times that the COVID lockdowns brought upon the business sector, decimating tourism, which was a mainstay for their business. Here is where they decided to move to a new opportunity, which Riverside Laneways provided.
Now their retail offer translates as well to locals and it does to the tourist and they describe themselves as a modern take on a traditional retail business - providing good service, selling products with a story and above all, curated with care. Their store has an emphasis on wool with a bespoke range of natural products to cover the spectrum of shopping, including the Untouched World range.
Sarah said they get really encouraged and excited with the many positive comments that come from tourists and locals alike when they come into the city for the first time, some saying ‘it is like being in Melbourne’.
Both Sarah and Sally say Christchurch has a huge future and believe this is due to what the city has to offer with the mountains, rivers, and wonderful coastline all in close proximity along with a brand new modern City Centre. We were keen to know if there were any city businesses they wanted to give a shout out to for providing good service to the city.
They said Ballantynes deserves a huge shout out, as they believe they are one of the big reasons a lot of people actually come into the city, in particular the older generation. Riverside Laneway businesses for their uniqueness and The Terrace, which they said is world class. Sarah’s favourite restaurant is King of Snake and Roca and they both thought Nick Inkster with his OGB and The Church hospitality spots were really great for the city vibe. Scorpio Bookstore and Sweet Soul Patisserie also made their list of top spots.
CHECK OUT SOME OF SARAH AND SALLY'S FAVOURITE CITY SPOTS
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