A drive through Christchurch city on Sunday 17th July revealed that a number of businesses and stores have moved into prefabricated buildings and shipping containers after their premises were destroyed by the 22nd February earthquake.
Christchurch Business Owners Resilient
A number of Christchurch shop owners are picking up the pieces of their lives after the earthquakes that destroyed hundreds of commercial properties. For many of them, this has involved rescuing stock and belongings from damaged buildings and starting again in a new location.
Others have erected temporary structures on the sites of their demolished property. An unfortunate few are still waiting to retrieve their goods from the cordoned-off red zone of Christchurch.
Story of a Christchurch Dairy Owner
Hitesh Ravji owns a small convenience store that is referred to as a dairy in New Zealand. On Sunday 17th July he was at work in his temporary store on Colombo Street in Sydenham and shared some of his story.
“We owned the building that housed the dairy. My parents started it and it had been on this spot for 40 years.”
The dairy is now in a converted container with stock stacked along the side walls. It is situated on the site of the building that used to house it. Ravji says that business is not what it used to be but regulars still come in to support him.
“People have been very encouraging and come in to buy a few things. There are no businesses close by but there is a bank across the road.”
The dairy survived the September 4th earthquake but the building was badly damaged in the February shake. Ravji said he opened the make-shift store about two months ago.
“The June 13th earthquake was a setback and slowed business down but we’re doing okay.” He is hoping to move into more permanent premises further down the street.
“We will rebuild on this site but that will take about two years. For now we are looking at renting down the road.”
Containers Used as Shop Windows after Christchurch Earthquake
Quinns in Merrivale is an upmarket ladies department store that sells swimwear, lingerie, footwear, jewellery, corporate, casual, street wear and eveningwear. Part of its premises was a 100 year old brick building that crumbled during the February earthquake. The property which adjoins Merivale Mall was demolished in June leaving an empty piece of land with a scarred building in the background. The store continues to operate from the remainder of its floor space.
Shoppers were pleasantly surprised in mid July when a couple of shipping containers with glass fronts appeared in the gap left by the demolition.
“They look stylish and fill part of the gap left by the old building.” The containers contain sale signs similar to those that remained in the damaged premises for months after the February earthquake.
In a city devastated by the recent earthquakes, it is encouraging to see signs of resilience and recovery. As business owners use their creativity, they hope that the public will respond by supporting local stores.
Debbie Roome - Debbie Roome is an award-winning freelance writer, journalist and novelist with over 25 years experience.
