Little gems you should know about

Co-owner Tanya Misery strikes a happy note of vintage girlie glamour in Misery Boutique. Picture / Carolyn Robertson

Viva goes in search of new and interesting design-savvy shops that are beyond the borders of trendy Ponsonby and Parnell: 

BELLA PACIFIC

Owners: Viv Kernick and Kirsty Griffin

Where: 461 Manukau Rd, Epsom (near the intersection of Manukau and Greenlane Rds)

Viv Kernick and Kirsty Griffin opened their colourful store Bella Pacific last August after realising they needed a showcase for the Pacific-style linens they had gathered from their shared passion for travel and shopping.

Drawing on their years of working in the New Zealand film and television industry as set decorator (Kernick) and art director (Griffin) they had no trouble in creating a vibrant and creative store.

Featuring handmade tivaevae (quilts) by local Cook Island women, books, artworks, jewellery and an ever-expanding colourful collection of ukulele, the store has been a beacon for those who love strong colour and appreciate Pacific Island culture.

Bella Pacific also features bold, colourful pieces the pair have picked up during their travels to Mexico.

"We have had great response from our customers. Everyone exclaims how they love the colours and patterns when they come in," says Kernick.

OSCAR

Owner: Susan Christensen

Where: 61 Pitt St, Auckland City (on the corner of Pitt St and Beresford Square)

Susan Christensen has brought a little bit of Europe to Auckland, inspired by the corner stalls on the continent where flower merchants supply beautiful blooms at value for money.

"I wanted the flowers to be very accessible and the whole feeling of the place to be inviting and open, gorgeous quality flowers at an affordable price, so that people would buy flowers for themselves and not just for a special occasion."

She spent time sourcing 150-year-old tiles and an old butler's sink from Egypt. The shelving in Oscar is constructed from buttresses from a building in the French quarter of Egypt. Company colours are chocolate and beige - again harking back to the European look.

"The latest flower styles overseas are relaxed and simple with one type of flower in abundance and we wanted Oscar to encompass that whole feeling. We also send flowers, but it's not all ribbons and bows. It's simple and clean, with some flowers sent in boxes and others wrapped in paper imported from Spain. We wanted the Spanish newspaper style from the 1930s to tie in with our sophisticated peasant theme," she says.

ZEITGEIST

Owners: Benjamin Chow and Frank Bischoff

Where: 557 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn (in the Surrey Crescent shops)

Benjamin Chow and Frank Bischoff have turned their eye for funky furniture and art into a business.

Cool techno jazz music greets customers at Zeitgeist, which is packed full of retro pieces, many from the 50s, 60s, and 70s but some gems from as early as the 20s.

Zeitgeist, which means spirit of the times in German, has been deliberately set up to feel like it could be someone's home, with former chef Chow dispensing espresso coffee, cake and tea from a tiny cafe at the back.

"We wanted the shop to inspire people and show them ideas that could work in their own homes and at the same time make them feel welcome and relaxed with the little cafe and some chill-type music."

Chow and Bischoff are drawn to the unusual shapes and bold colours that dominated design in the 50s through to the 70s.

"The reason we like this period so much is because it was really brave. The pieces make a real statement, unlike the type of furniture you can buy in any old furniture shop which makes your place look exactly like your neighbours. One can do so much with these timeless classics, they will never be out of fashion, they will always be cool," says Chow.

MISERY BOUTIQUE

Owners: Tanya Misery and Steve Hodge

Where: 202 Karangahape Rd (in the Pascoes building opposite St Kevin's Arcade)

Misery Boutique - a combination of sexy Parisian beauty parlour mixed with the label's distinctive cute girlie characters and a dash of Moulin Rouge-style - adds its own distinctive character to colourful Karangahape Rd.

"I've had many women and girls tell me it's what their ultimate bedroom would look like," says co-owner Tanya Misery.

The concept for the boutique grew from Misery's other venture, Illicit Clothing, which is next door.

"The two brands worked very well together but I wanted to take the Misery clothing brand to a new level and make a more feminine high fashion line, a bit more sexy and fun with pretty colours compared to the dark, tattoo rock'n'roll styles of the Illicit store," she says.

Misery's mix of vintage girlie glamour has hit the right notes across a wide age spectrum, attracting teenage customers through to women in their 50s.

"We get punkrockers, girlie girls, heaps of Asian kids and business women. Lots of younger girls come in with their mums and they both walk out with a beautiful dress. I think women like the femininity of the store - it's a lovely place to take your time trying on clothes and feel like a girl."