The Groovy Glasses Heritage Building: Lost forever in the September 2010 Earthquake
Why don't we take a journey back; back into time and imagine what she was like when she was first born back in 1926. She was built as a private hotel with accommodation provided at first floor level. Apparently country folk would come to town, visit a nearby cinema and then spend the night at this modest hotel before returning home.
Grace has revealed herself to be many things over the years. She has been a high class antique shop, a shoe polish factory, a pizza restaurant, a furniture shop, and now the centre of grooviness for spectacle wearers. Grace was discovered by the Pursuers of Groovy back in 1997. She seduced us with her ornate plaster ceilings, her leadlight arched window and exposed brick walls. The three bedroom flat at first floor level conjured up psychedelic fantasies of a private pad for staff to pamper themselves in with cooking facilities, a claw foot bath, and a large lounge for lingering lunches on wet Wednesdays.
were engaged to restore and redecorate Grace. She had her staircase stripped back and polyurethaned, her old concrete benches lined with recycled kauri, and her decaying wall surfaces clad with recycled wood paneling. Our special thanks go to "Not Just Tables" and "Urban Archaeology" for their inspired help in getting Grace "just right".
throughout Grace's interior was the final touch. Grace is home to theatre
seats, a rolled arm leather couch, wooden filing cabinets, formica and
chrome tables and chairs, figurines, radios, lamps, tea trolleys, bead
curtains, clocks, and the real obsession, Art Deco mirrors. In all, Grace
boasts 40 Art Deco mirrors in all shapes and sizes. Call it a fascination
with light and images - but we believe Grace has the largest collection
of Art Deco mirrors in New Zealand, possibly the universe.
Grace was a groovy gal and we really miss her. Check out Johnny, our new premises in Bath Street.
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