George & Charlotte Children's Fashion CoastLab

Sheena O’Sullivan’s store, George & Charlotte Children’s Fashion, brings a slice of the British high street to Ōrewa.

Named after the late Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren, the store focuses on quality British brands of children’s wear and toys from Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and Next. There is also a section of carefully chosen NZ items.

Originally from Cheshire, Sheena has lived in NZ for 29 years – now in Red Beach. She proudly declares herself a Kiwi, having brought up her two daughters here. She now has four Kiwi grandchildren – two of them feature on the store’s bags.

“When the children were little, I used to get family in the UK to send me clothes because the quality and variety just wasn’t here in NZ,” she says. She focuses on keeping things affordable, and also looks for environmentally friendly options, with as little plastic as possible.

This means cuddly fabrics such as brushed cotton, soft toys (including original Paddington Bears) and wooden toys made by local craftsmen.

Items for parents, such as nightware, aprons and tea towels, are good sellers, along with classic baby wear such as stretch and grows.

Her stock is imported direct from the UK but Sheena also travels there regularly. Last time she returned weighed down with five suitcases of items for her shop. One of the stars of George & Charlotte Children’s Fashion is Sheena’s puppy Freedom.

“Lots of repeat customers started visiting to see the dog,” she says. “She lifts their spirits.”

Sheena’s children, one a midwife and the other a Kindergarten teacher, keep her up to date with Kiwi brands.

“Parents are more aware of natural products now,” Sheena says. “Good for baby and good for the environment.”

Warm and light-filled on a winter’s day, CoastLab – a shared office space in Ōrewa –is an inviting place to set up your laptop and get some work done.

Suia Westbrook took over on Christmas Day, keen to build on her experience running events in a large co-working space in Berlin. Suia also has a talent for bringing people together, and organisational skills to make CoastLab hum along. A variety of different spaces and many ways to use them makes co-working the ultimate in flexibility.

You can have a permanent or part time desk, or use a hot desk, changing it up as you need to work around other commitments or family life. Rent a meeting room for a presentation or workshop – or try ‘the zoom room’, a small private place. People of all ages, in all kinds of businesses, enjoy this way of working including Real Estate agents, start-ups, charities, website and software developers, IT professionals and creatives. Your computer is all you need – everything else is provided, including Wifi, and a kitchenette.

Suia says people sharing the space means collaboration happens naturally. Her interest in creating a space especially for women also led to Suia setting up a networking group called Force Femme.

“We make it fun, and there is always a great energy in the room, and a positive vibe,” she says.

Suia lived in Ōrewa as a teenager and says more people are moving to the outskirts of Auckland, including many in tech jobs and young families.

“Flexible ways of working are key and the need for that is only going to grow.”