My Account
Coasties looking for some retail therapy in these unusual times have a new place to shop.
Mandy Randall, the owner of the shoe shop Heavenly Soles in Matakana, has opened Island in Bakehouse Lane, Orewa. She describes the new shop as predominantly fashion-based, but it will also stock a range of gifts.
“There are a lot of new homes being built in Orewa and Millwater, so I think there is a market for a store offering modern gifts,” she says. “I take a lot of care in sourcing quality stock, often New Zealand or Australian made, which isn’t always available in other places.”
Originally from England, Mandy was a maternity nurse at St John Hospital in London for 25 years before emigrating to New Zealand. Initially, she worked in maternal health in Auckland, but then decided it was time for a change.
“I really just wanted a good night’s sleep!” she says.
It was while managing a shoe store in Ponsonby that she discovered a love for shoes.
At Heavenly Soles, she takes home one pair of every pair of shoes in her shop.
“It’s market research,” she explains. “If I find the shoes comfortable, then I’m happy to sell them. After wearing them two or three times, I give them to charity.”
When Mandy and husband Adam moved to Orewa, she shifted her interests to Matakana. She managed Heavenly Soles for a few years before buying the business in 2016.
“Although the Orewa store is quite different from Heavenly Soles, it does have the same welcoming vibe – a place where women will feel comfortable to linger, browse and chat.”
Stock will include NZ fashion brands Kathryn Wilson and Briarwood, designer gifts by Father Rabbit, Robert Gordon ceramics and Tilley Australia home products.
Adam, a retail designer, has overseen the fit out of the store, which is in the former Dick Smith building.
“We love living in Orewa and over the last two years we’ve watched the town grow into an amazing hospitality destination. It’s now time to grow the retail options and Island will be part of that.”
