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Moved to tears by events

 

 

thumbnail 08 MF-Biz3-945With two businesses under pressure from lockdown, Home & Hobbies (H&H) director Beth Stone and co-owner of Valley Vista Eco Retreat, which she shares with husband Barry, says

she’s ‘been moved to tears many times’ through Levels 4 and 3, and ‘can't see an end to it just yet’.

“We're lucky to be alive and have our health but it was a shock when we realised that our business diversification plan had come to nothing and businesses as diverse as a variety/gift store and a holiday park were both closed down,” she says. “Reality hit home as we realised for at least four weeks we had no income but still had to pay the lease, phone, power etc and the usual 20th accounts. We've received no support at all from council, not even an enquiry as to how it may be going. The Government is to be thanked for the wage subsidy but sadly this doesn't help with the many other business expenses incurred.”

Being retail, H&H was not allowed to open under Level 4, although Stone says about two weeks into the lockdown, she recognised some stock was listed by MBIE as 'essential supplies'.

“However I did not expect my two H&H staff to deal with picking and packing random orders through Facebook or by phone and personally I had become too busy to do it, so we just let it go.”

Once the transition to Level 3 was announced opening up online orders, Stone’s son Louis sourced a website for the store.

“He's still getting photos and descriptions online, quite a challenge when it involves over 5000 products. Thank you Louis!”

Through the lockdown Stone has shopped for her neighbour, her ‘ex’, Kaiwaka foodbank and the two German and eight French tourists who were self-isolating at their retreat. However, the Germans, a retired couple, managed to fly home after two weeks ‘having had their dream holiday blown to shreds’.

“We looked after them as best as we could,’ she says. “We had some money come through via Civil Defence Emergency management and enormous thanks must go to our Kaipara Civil Defence Officer, Sharon Douglas, she has done a great job.”

A young French couple staying at the retreat also pitched in to help out with weeding and planting, which Stone says she feels very fortunate about ‘as our contractors couldn't work and now we would struggle to pay them anyway’.

“I'm not really complaining though, we really had to beat this virus and keep people safe,” she says. “But it is hard when so many people need help… and so many were and still are, willing to flout the rules of lockdown.”

Formerly known as ‘Bazaar World’, owner Beth Stone and sales consultant Nicky Thompson outside recently renamed ‘Home & Hobbies’.


 
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