Sleb Sitings — Dan Carter — Mercer Street
Woohoo — if we’re not mistaken there are two male underwear models in town.
No idea where Mark Wahlberg can be found, but Dan Carter can be spotted today at his very own store in Mercer Street. We think it might be called GAS or something.
Story here, at Stuff.co.nz
Porcine Holocaust
When it comes down to living the good life, you don’t have to spend up large.
One of my favourite things about having been a dishpig or assorted-kitchen odd-body for a number of years is that you soon learn that the most expensive foods are often the crappyest.
So, to help you all out, here’s a few pointers about surviving on a partial-gourmet diet in Wellington. Now, all of these photos were taken at gourmet and sometimes 4x4 central, Moore Wilsons.
Fact Number One. Pork is good for you. To prove it, here’s a great example right here. 
A kilo of pork belly for a miserly $12. There’s a bit of fat on there, but nothing you can’t handle.
Of course, you don’t want to go overboard. Too much pork makes Che a rather fat boy. But everything in moderation, no?
So, I mention the pork belly because it’s a main ingredient in cassoulet, something I’ll be discussing in more length over on Object Dart. Sooner or later.
Probably later.
But, there’s heaps of stuff you can find at Moore Wilson you can’t find easily anywhere else. So here’s a few more
You are very important, yes you are
The lovely Beckon Design Store (Willis St Village) will be having a VIP evening on Wednesday the 18th of July from 5.30pm onwards.
They will be showcasing new ranges from valued local arts and craft people including…
- Hester de Ruiter:Hand-painted pouffes and Tea Towels
- Cloud of Birds: one-off Plushies
- Babylicious : Children’s wear; Lady pants and Man pants!
- Amulet Treasures: One-off brooches by Amy McLennan
- Robyn Yee – Bung Hamsters
- Nikki Burrows — Jewelery
- Ataahua – Linen and Light shades
- Annie Collins – Jewelery
There will also be 50% off selected stock from…
Catherine David Design, 2 Belle, Mimi, T Double L, Jenstar, Flock, Scene Stealer and Heavenly.
On top of all of this there will be bubbles, spot prizes, nibbles, great company and fantastic service (as usual)!
What more could you want? Come and support some very talented locals. All welcome (yes, you are a VIP. Easy wasn’t it?)
Vic Books sale
On a stunning day like today, what could be a better way to use your lunch hour than taking the cable car up the hill to Victoria University and checking out the sale at Vic Books? With books starting at 50 cents, this is how I keep my bookshelves overloaded.
There’s only a week and a half more to go, but new stock is constantly added, there’s 25% off fiction not already reduced on 17th May; and 25% off non-fiction not already reduced on the 24th. The sale finishes Friday 25th May and the shop’s open daily from 8am-6pm. Oh, and due to a terrible mishap with suppliers, they have 100 copies of Ann Coulter’s Slander for 50 cents each, which is perfect if you’re in the mood for a good old-fashioned book burning to warm the autumn nights. Hurrah!
A close shave
Anyone forget to shave this morning might be interested in heading down to Lambton Quay near the Old Bank Arcade, where a caravan set up like a barbershop is waiting for you. It appears to be a promotion for a particular kind of new men’s razor, but I’m sure they’d be happy to shave ladies too…
Getting Moore for less
Fashionistas may be excited to know about the very temporary-looking Andrea Moore ‘workroom’ set up by the bus stop on Manners St, whose windows are promising 50–70% off. But those who recently bought a (gorgeous) Andrea Moore dress at full cost might not want to read this at all…
Borders: opening Thursday
As Tom noted back in October, the northern portion of Capital on the Quay is to become a Borders’. Imagine a bookstore with a giant footprint, a café inside, and possibly the largest range of stock in town. That might well be what we’re getting.
Several months later it seems the the work is just about complete, and earlier this week a sign appeared in the window: opening is to be 8:00am this Thursday 15th.
At the Wellingtonista we’ve been keenly awaiting the opening: probably more because we are hoping for some great opening bargains than anything else (not that we actually know anything — please comment if you do).
Around the watercooler though, there’s been a bit of discussion about Borders’ entry into the Wellington book retail market: will it be good, or bad for the book-loving public?
Experience of the Auckland store varied: one of us felt that although the initial stock on opening was broad enough to have people hyperventilating (three different editions of “Finnegan’s Wake” — a benchmark by which any book-store, ‑chain, or even society can be measured he said, misty-eyed with remembrance), over time it seemed to become less diverse.
But a couple of the others have found the Auckland store to be pretty good actually, beating out even Unity in some areas (post-modern American poetry, anyone?), and that the range available is huge.
At this point, the concept of The Long Tail made its way into the increasingly thick soup of the conversation. The idea applied in this case being that Borders’ can generate volume and make money by selling one or two copies of many many different titles rather than flogging large numbers of just a few very popular titles. Which may bode ill for for our favourite small-but-more-specialised bookshops elsewhere in town: Unity, Vic Books, Parsons, and even Dymocks all have their adherents up here in Wellingtonista towers. It’s hard to say how it’s going to pan out: maybe Borders’ won’t, or can’t compete against the independents, crimping the Quay’s other book megastore pretender Whitcoulls instead… or maybe not.
Costume Cave 2 sale
Right now, as we speak, the Costume Cave 2 is selling old theatre, TV and film clothes for you to prance around in.
Looking for that Hawaiian attire for a certain Friday party or maybe for that 1977 look then I’m sure they can help you out.
Here at Wellingonista Towers the boys are already accessorising and the girls are eagerly awaiting the catwalk parade later on. If you see any of us buying Xena frocks, over sized and outlandish hats or SciFi silver knee-high boots, give us a smile and ask us for a twirl!
Where: Costume Cave 2
Where: Level 1, 233 Willis Street
When: now until Sunday 18th, 10am — 2pm
Help Fight Gnomelessness!
Cool prezzie alert — Locally made Gnome Homes & Gnomaloos. Hand cast by a master blacksmith in the Hutt Valley (who also does a good line in Roman Armour, and let’s face it, who doesn’t like dressing up in Roman Armour?, and a few other ideas he’s working on which I’ll report on when they come to fruition, but which must remain under wraps for now so as not to give away his ideas to competitors.)
I just got a couple of Gnomehomes & matching Gnomaloos for my nieces, they also come, I’m told, in camouflage colours for the boys, and in various combinations — Gnome Village, and the bulk pack which I guess could constitute a Gnome City.
You can get them through this site, or by emailing Murray (click on the little Murray figure for the email link), or through numerous retail outlets, including Christopher’s Crystals in Cuba Street.
Big shoes to fill
Most of the time it’s nice being the tallest female Wellingtonista (Martha and Natalie may get the column inches but I gots the height inches), but the trouble with being tall is that I need great big plates of meat as feet to support me. And you know what they say about girls with big feet — they need big shoes.
That’s why I’m so excited that Willow Shoes — a website I’ve been shopping from for years since they specialise in shoes size 10 and up — has just opened up a branch in Wellington, in my neighbourhood even, at 27 C Waitoa Road in Hataitai. This is going to be especially handy (or err footy, badoom chish) now that Minx Shoes have moved their factory outlet from Waikanae to Otaki.