KEY POINTS:
We love a store with a sense of humour, and Ponsonby boutique The Cool Store has plenty of that.
Friends Jake Shand and Dennis Blair joined forces late last year to open the store, which sells a combination of menswear, gadgets and eclectic design.
"We wanted to create a shop that is full of clothes and items that when you walked in, you would want to take home everything that you see," says Shand, who has previously worked in marketing for record label BMG and radio station The Edge. He describes the store as having "something for everyone", with great menswear from Justin Timberlake's label William Rast, Rebel 8, Alternative Apparel and more; as well as everything from gold garden gnomes to a custom-built chopper bike.
The gallery-like space is just as eclectic as the pieces for sale, with clean white cube shelves and retro butcher's cabinets displaying everything from jewellery to sunglasses.
We spoke to Shand and got him to list some of his favourite things. And yes, he's joking about Waikikamukau.
TEN FAVOURITE THINGS
1 Vers 2 iPod speaker
The most beautiful iPod speaker that I have ever seen. I contacted the US manufacturer and had them ship me one. It looks like it has been milled out of a single block of wood. Who would have thought that making a speaker out of wood instead of plastic would work? It sounds as good as it looks as well.
2 Waikikamukau
The greatest single town in New Zealand. I have been buying land and properties there for the past three years as they are so cheap; I plan to turn it into a kind of typical Kiwi retreat/resort where you have to milk the cow in the morning so you have milk for your Weetbix. It will be all guns and farm bikes with one general store/post office, a petrol station and a pub. Who could want for anything more?
3 FAILE Crest print
This is my favourite piece of art. FAILE is a Brooklyn-based international artist collective that has been around since the late 90s. I just think the whole idea of a modern crest is great.
4 My black leather chaise
My mother "lent" me this chaise. When I took it off her hands it still had the original fabric that was ripping all over the show. I thought to bring it back to glory it needed to be covered in leather as it gets sat on everyday. It has a very gothic look now.
5 Pioneer CDJs
I've been DJing for the past 13 or 14 years. I've pretty much retired from it now, the late nights become tiresome when you have kids who want to sit on your head at seven in the morning! I had the original CDJ500s about 10 years ago - they were enormous and had such basic functions. I have a pair of CDJ200s now, about two years old but in much better shape than the retired couple.
6 My children, Jet and Milly
I've loved watching my son, Jet, turn into a great little boy and love doing dad things with him like kicking a football around a park. Seeing the birth of Milly was so incredible even though I did the thing that you see in movies where the father gets all light-headed and nearly faints. It was just so overwhelming and amazing that words couldn't describe it.
7 Nerja, Spain
Nerja is a small seaside town, one of the most beautiful in Spain, with a spectacular promenade built on top of a cliff which Napoleon named Balcon de Europe (The Balcony of Europe) for its amazing Mediterranean views. Fantastic beaches and food, and no large hotels within 50km. My fiance and I plan to get married at the Balcon, it will be amazing.
8 Adidas trainers
I wear trainers everyday and I have had lots, from Converse to Fila, but I haven't found any that have the comfort and the style to compete with the ZX series from adidas. I wear them everyday and I probably just look like Seinfield, but I bet he was comfortable.
9 Things that you can't get:
Like Lime Fru Ju's (just lime thanks, not lemon lime or raspberry lime), Passito Passionfruit soft drink (I used to buy this from the dairy next to Napier Central School, no other passionfruit fizzy comes close, but I hear Foxton Fizz is pretty good), and sugar-coated jelly babies (they need to be coated in sugar, it makes them taste better).
10 Jaguar XF
If I love the new Jag, and that is love with a capital L - does that mean I have turned into my grandfather?
