Yvonne and Stu Kara have decided to close Kāpiti Coast Meats. Photo / David Haxton
A Paraparaumu Beach shop that has been serving customers for many decades shuts its door for the final time this week.
Kāpiti Coast Meats owners Stu and Yvonne Kara have decided to close the business on their own terms and finish on a high.
The couple has owned the Maclean St shop for 20 years but it had different names and owners dating back over an impressive 80 years.
“It’s just time to close up,” Yvonne said.
“We want to go out on a nice note.”
Owning and operating a small butchery has become harder over time though.
“We just don’t have the foot traffic to be competitive,” she said.
“Not a lot of people use the small traditional butcher anymore.
“Running a butchery is quite hard and you’ve got to have the volume to meet your overheads.”
They had been trying to sell the shop for some time.
“We had it out there for quite a while but there was no interest,” Stu said.
Lots of people have been popping into the shop to farewell the couple.
“They’re sad to see us go,” Yvonne said.
“We’re part of the community around here.
“Butcher shops are neat places because you chat with people and get to know them quite well.
“Everyone has been supportive.
“But it’s pretty tough times out there at the moment and we’ve gone as far as we can.”
While the butchery will be missed by many people, a resident seagull will also feel the loss.
“We fed the seagull when he first came here about seven years ago,” Yvonne said.
“We stopped that but he kept coming back and standing by the door.
“He follows Stu across the road to the bakery.”
Stu adds: “He’s here every day except for Sundays when he knows we’re closed.”
There was one memorable moment when someone scared him inside.
“It was quite frenetic having a seagull flying around your shop.
“Stu grabbed him and threw him out the door but then he wanted to come back in.”
Yvonne had an important message for customers.
“We just want to say thank you to everyone.
“We’ve had some much support over the years and it has been a lot of fun.”
The couple will have a break before deciding their next move.
Stu, who became a butcher when he was 15, was keen to stay in the industry.
Kāpiti Coast Meats, 22A Maclean St, closes on Saturday, Christmas Eve, at 1pm.
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.