Hospice Shop News

A note from Nina in Takaka

It’s coming up to a year since the shop moved in their forever home, once known as the Mariposa store, down Commercial St in Takaka. As the first year comes to a close, we think it’s a great time to reflect on the store’s successes so far.

Nina has been working with Hospice since December 2020 and has noticed that, although seasons bring ebbs and flows of customers, the support from the community and visitors has been incredible. Nina said “Things were very busy in December. It didn’t matter what we put in the store it got sold. Now, it’s more quiet and clearly seasonal, but we have noticed Covid has bought much more domestic tourism and it has become less seasonal than other years.”

Clothes are the biggest sellers at the store. They sell a bit of furniture, bric-a-brac and books as well.

Nina would like to thank the volunteers…

“They are the life blood of the Hospice, but especially in Takaka because we have one of the lowest levels of paid staff for any shop in the Nelson Tasman Region. We rely on volunteers, and I believe it’s important to give them more responsibility as a motivator. I let them make decisions, for example around displays, as it is important for them to feel responsible for their decisions. Some volunteers have worked here for 10+ years, and I don’t want to act like I know better because of a hierarchy. It’s also better for group harmony to not push ‘my way’ too much and to take their ideas in to consideration. It’s important to focus on the bigger picture to make this a happy workplace, as these people are gifting their time to the shop.”

When asked about the store and the donations from the community, Nina explained that the quality of the donations we get is high, and the majority of those are from the community in Takaka. Instead of selling things for minimum effort on Trademe and making an easy $50, they give them to Hospice to sell. The community want to give to a good cause and support Hospice. Nina recalled “The other day we had these two beautiful silk scarfs made in Italy. They sold as quickly as I put them in the window display.”

Over the hill, there is an extremely generous and tight knit town. Nina told us a story about how a customer had overheard a conversation she had with a colleague about the store needing some aromatherapy. The customer stopped the two midsentence and offered them a diffuser and some essential oils for the store, so they could try it out and see what works for them. Nina said “It’s very neighbourly, and the community are very open to supporting organisations like Hospice however they can.”

Nina and the whole Hospice team would like to thank the community in Takaka for their support and generosity.

Click here to read more about the Hospice Shops in Nelson Tasman