Just to let you know that the Mini-Kiwiland Shop is now officially closed.
Hopefully this is only temporarily.

The website remains active as usual, except that it is not possible to add items to your shopping cart/place orders.
I have still not received all the expected shipments and these need to be booked into the system as soon as they arrive. Watchers will receive notifications, but will not be able to purchase them until a new location is found.

It is essential that a new location is found at a very short notice as my income is now zero, while I still have to pay off borrowed money for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop and I have to find accommodation for myself somehow as well.

In the previous newsletter I asked for feedback for a relocation to 3 different places.
This is the result:

1 - Upper Hutt (37%)
2 - Wellington CBD/Te Aro (32%)
3 - Kapiti (31%)

This did not mean that I have options in these places or that I only look at these places. Lower Hutt seems to be the obvious choice in that case.
I just wanted to know how far and in what direction customers are willing to travel to a hobby shop.

I was hoping one place would stand out, so I could take a higher risk in that particular place. They are all very close however.

Moreover I was particularly interested in Wellington CBD/Te Aro. It's an area I hadn't considered before because of the traffic and parking. I was surprised that this wasn't a real problem for most customers as they visit Wellington City regularly anyway.

Quite a few customers were concerned for me about the high rents in the city. This is actually not that bad. There are a lot more options and I guess more competition. Since I'm looking into Wellington City I noticed that the service from real estate agents is much better than elsewhere in the Wellington region.
Note: I'm not looking at retail shops on Lambton Quay, Cuba Street or Courtenay Place etc.

Now that the shop is closed, I have more time to look around online, visit places, inspect, negotiate etc.
A chapter ends and a new one begins. Hopefully for the better.
I want to thank everyone for their support in these difficult times. Highly appreciated!

Stay safe!

Robert