‘So much fun’: From long time hospo mates to business owners

Tyme Marama Gould and Emily Fleming took over Frosty Moons in August.

There’s an apparent irony in taking over an ice cream shop in the middle of winter and during an economic downturn.

But for two best mates who have grown up in Whanganui’s hospitality scene; “It’s been so much fun”.

Emily Fleming and Tyme Marama Gould took over Frosty Moons on Drews Ave in August, becoming business owners after almost a decade working in hospitality.

The pair met at Whanganui Girls’ College but solidified their friendship from a distance when Gould moved to Australia and stayed in touch by writing letters.

“I had a few friends but Emily was the only one who was really there,” Gould said.

“That was my first understanding of true friendship.”

The mates have since followed a similar path. They moved to Wellington after leaving high school and returned to Whanganui where they spent time working at The Citadel and Lucky together.

Fleming later managed Wellington’s Aro Cafe which “honed a lot of skills there which transfer here” and Gould spent time in Brisbane as a barista.

Taking those experiences into business was always part of the plan.

“I remember [former Citadel owner Charlotte Melser] saying ‘if you want to stay in hospo, you need to own’. You don’t want to work as a worker for the rest of your life,” Gould said.

“I think Em and I always had plans of having our own thing.”

While making plans to set up a business in Australia, the opportunity to take over Frosty Moons came up.

“This place already being established and Em already working here made it a lot easier,” Gould said.

Fleming said the years of working in Whanganui hospitality felt like a head start.

“We’ve already built our community up. They know us through that and they come in specifically to say ‘hi’ to us,” she said.

“It’s been so much fun. I think the build-up – having to organise everything while Tyme was in Australia, was very stressful – but now that we’re actually doing it, it’s just been lots of fun.

“It hardly feels like a job because you’re just hanging out bouncing ideas off each and bringing cool new things into the shop.”

Fleming said winter had been a chance to “get our heads around the palace and get ready for summer” but it had gone better than expected.

“We really expected the very least, our expectations were on the ground so we’re really happy.”

Zaryd Wilson is the editor of the Whanganui Chronicle and has been a journalist covering the lower North Island for 13 years. He joined the Whanganui Chronicle as a reporter in 2014 and has been editor since 2021.