Displays brighten empty shops

Empty shops along Featherston's main street are getting a new lease of life with the installation of window displays aimed at enticing tenants and bringing the town back to life.

The first series of "seens", which will be officially launched today at 11am at 17 Fitzherbert St, include selected panels from the Wairarapa Moana exhibition at Aratoi, a history display by Mike Beckett, a sea-themed display by St Teresa's School in the train carriage, a glimpse of nature treasures by the Department of Conservation and a Featherston Rugby Club memorabilia display, just in time for the Rugby World Cup kick-off.

Featherston Seen committee chairwoman Siv Fjaerestad said the idea has been "floating around" for a while, and the start of the Cup was the perfect time to launch the project, particularly because of the Featherston Rugby Club display.

'The Featherston Rugby Club is, I think, one of the oldest in the country and it's such an amazing display, especially with the rugby cartoons from the old Evening Post.

"We thought aligning it with the Rugby World Cup would be a good time to launch the project."

As well as showcasing Wairarapa's artistic talent, culture, community organisations and events, Ms Fjaerestad said the drive for the project is for Featherston Seen to be "put out of business".

"We have a vision of a more energetic main street, so we're doing this project to brighten up the empty shops in the hope that people will rent them, which will put us out of business."

The window displays will be changed every two to three months to include South Wairarapa-based artists, writers, academics, architects, schools, organisations, events and anyone else with a great idea that benefits Featherston and the wider South Wairarapa community.

To propose an idea or for further information, call Siv (06) 308 8314, Emily (06) 308 6572, or featherstonseen@gmail.com