Vanishing appears

There are a few shops around town that cater to pop-culture junkies and seekers of retro memorabilia, but newcomer Vanishing Point (40 Abel Smith St) adds a  personal twist. As quiffed and string-tied rockabillies wandered about the tiny shop on opening day, the owners had to point out that what looked like a café or […]

The Owls Are Not What They Seem

You know that we’re big fans of Madame Fancy Pants. You know what we’re not fans of? Thieves! Dear MFP lovelies, Sorry to say that our big competition will be canceled as someone has stolen your prize. 🙁 If you happen to know of someone acquiring a Deadly Ponies Mr Night Owl bag….? If you […]

So long, Marbecks Cuba Mall

It looks like the Marbecks on Cuba Mall is closing down, leaving the blessed Slowboat and Real Groovy the only music shops in the area. It doesn’t really come as much of a surprise – record shops today seem to exist mainly for music nerds and CD-buying grans. ’90s-style music shops like Marbecks are a […]

Win Craft 2.0 craftcash for this Saturday!

The amazing Craft 2.0 is happening again this Saturday, and its amazing founder Sue Tyler (full disclosure: paid-up member of the Wellingtonista) has decided that you should get a present. Or maybe you. We’ll leave it up to the randomizer to make the ultimate call. On Saturday, 18 December, Wellingtonians who want to gift in […]

Win a Most Wanted voucher

Edit: Congratulations to Comment #3 who the randomizer selected – Laura, I will email you to get your address. In all the confusion, fun and booze at the TAWAs last week, I completely forgot that we had another prize giveaway to do, a voucher for Most Wanted Vintage at 81 Aro Street. Most Wanted Vintage […]

JUST GOOD STUFF is back for 2010

Craft madness!  Creative creations!  6 days to solve all your Christmas shopping needs, while supporting local creatives – it’s practically guilt-free! Featuring JUST GOOD STUFF from: Genevieve Packer, Gabby O’Connor, Lucy Adams, Phillipa Cowdrey, Alanah Gibson, Wendy Neale, Ngaere MacKinnon, Flora Waycott, Isel Greta Jane, Hermon & son, Flora Gray, Tess & Gab, Mary Adams, […]

TAWA5 Best Shopping Experience

Stuff, glorious stuff,  oh how we love to take you home with us.  These are the places we go to window lick, tire kick and buy, buy, buy.  Love your work, people.

Japan City: the fruity fruits of globalisation

The former Hallensteins building on Cuba Mall has been undergoing a bit of a facelift, getting rid of its cute and interesting 1980s post-modern facade and replacing it with something that looks a lot less interesting (sob!) But what’s lost in the building has partly been made up for with its cheerful new tenant, the […]

Spotlight on: Spotlight

Got half an hour or more to spare? Jump in the fabric queue at Spotlight at the bottom of the Ngaio Gorge, home to possibly the slowest shop assistants in all of New Zealand.

Seriously, where the hell do they find these people? They’re a really good encouragement to forsake the easy parking and take a bus in to the fabric shop on Willis Street instead. But then you’d miss out on all the fabulous “oh my god they are so slow!” queue conversations you get to have with the other irate shoppers…

(FTW) Wigs for Whigs

me as Madonna, not Marilyn. Honest.Let’s say that you have a dress-up party to go to, maybe with an ‘American Mistakes’ theme, and maybe you want a blonde wig to go with your red dress so that you can be Anna Nicole Smith. Where should you get that blonde wig from? Well, if you’re a public servant at the Molesworth end of town, you might head down to Creative Show Off Costume Hire on Thorndon Quay, and pay $20 for a wig. But if you’re smart, you’ll go to the Costume Cave on Wakefield Street instead, and only pay $10. Costume Cave for the win!