Motueka’s not-for-profit Community Store will close its doors this Saturday after distributing more than $226,000 to the community over the past decade.
The lease is ending on the opportunity shop, located beside McDonald’s on the corner of High and Whakarewa Streets, as the landlord explores new ventures. Community Store founder and manager Heather Hoad says she is saddened by the hole the closure will leave in the community.
Heather says that the idea for the shop grew from repeatedly seeing community groups struggle to raise funds. On a personal level, she was also dealing with the sudden and traumatic loss of her husband, Phillip.
“There’s that saying that grief is love with no place to go, and I think that’s what I needed.”
At 65, when she might have been considering retirement, Heather instead decided to establish a community-focused store that “supports those smaller groups”.
Community clubs and organisations have been able to apply for funding through the store’s simple one-page application form, with fewer restrictions than many traditional grant schemes.
Close to 200 donations have been made during the past decade, ranging from $60 to several thousand dollars.
“They’re not big amounts that we give out but they do enable changes to be made,” Heather reflects.
The community store’s first donation was $500 towards the Motueka Aquatic Centre project. Its largest contribution went to the Motueka Maternity Unit, which received $4280 for a new birthing pool and nursing chairs.
Motueka Women’s Support and Riding for the Disabled were among the organisations that received regular support. The store also provided seed funding for the local Grandparents Raising Grandchildren division, a series of adult literacy classes and extra funding for Motueka’s Toy Library. Donations also helped bridge funding gaps for local school projects.
Sport also benefited, with the yacht club, Riwaka Croquet Club and local dance troops all receiving support. One cause Heather is particularly proud of was helping three local roller hockey players reach an international competition in China.
In turn, the store has enjoyed strong support from the community, with loyal customers and a steady stream of donated goods.
“I think they like the idea that the money we raise goes back into the community, and I feel really sad that it’s not going to continue.”
Heather is also hugely grateful to Heather Lee, her part-time manager, and the group of about 20 volunteers she describes as “just a delight to work with”.
She says genuine friendships have formed among the volunteers and that she could not have operated the store without them.
The commercial space is earmarked for a Bottle-O liquor store, a proposal that has sparked strong opposition within the community.
Heather says she could not afford to relocate or wait out the submission process. The store’s contents, signage, fixtures and fittings all need to be cleared, and the cost of starting again elsewhere would be too great.
The shop is holding a closing-down sale, ending this Saturday, and any remaining stock will be passed on to Motueka’s Hospice Shop.
While saddened by the closure, Heather is trying to focus on all that has been achieved.
She believes the store has done more than support the community.
“It’s given a lot back to me,” she says.
