The departure of hair salon Ginger Meggs from the historic building it has occupied in Merivale for the past 23 years paves the way for a new entrant to lease the prime spot.
Mike and Glynis Hamel are closing the St Albans St hub to concentrate on their Contemporary Lounge salon at Ballantynes.
Nick Doig, retail leasing specialist of Colliers International in Christchurch, said the fact that Ginger Meggs had leased the site for so long indicated what an ideal location it is.
“They’ve been in the building since 1986 - it’s very unusual for a tenant to stay so long in one place. But their decision to shift has created a rare opportunity for an incoming tenant.”
He said the salon leases all but a small commercial tenancy (66.6m2) at the rear of the character house but the total area of 280m2 could be available if a new tenant wanted the entire building. There is also generous on-site carparking.
“This is a superb location for fashion, a restaurant, or general retail. The character roughcast building is very distinctive with its Marseille tile roof and feature bay windows. The rooms are really spacious with high studs and some have wonderfully ornate ceilings. Commercial buildings of this age and architecture are rare.”
The Merivale landmark was built in 1910 as a doctor’s residence with consulting rooms. Over the years it has changed from residential to commercial use with multi tenancies including a real estate firm, beautician, interior designer and optician. Macleod Fabrics relocated to the Merivale landmark from their city store in 1986, the same year the Hamels began their hair salon in a small portion of the building.
Doig said Merivale was renowned for its up market retailing and professional businesses and was always highly sought.
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