We sat down with Indya Gibbs, the new owner of Everyone’s Store Raglan to talk about herself, the store and everything in between. Situated on its own corner within Raglan’s township, the store is filled with beautiful threads. We could talk about it for longer, but Indya is pretty awesome at doing that herself!
Introduce yourself!
Ko Indya Gibbs ahau! I am the owner of this little shop in the heart of Whāingaroa, the town I was proudly born and bred in. After working in the shop for 5 years I recently took ownership…in the middle of a pandemic I know, but I wasn’t ready to walk away. These times are weird and unknown but I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Before the shop, I was a professional dancer who got to tour the world and share my passion for dance and culture. I am trained in Māori Performing Arts, Siva Sāmoa, Ura Kāki Āirani and NZ Contemporary Dance. These were some of my most precious years and I believe I learnt the most about who I was and where I was from. Te āo Māori and dance are still the things that drive me the most every single day!
Tell us about the store;
The store is a little slice of who I am. It is a shop filled with colour, textures, fashion, music and an all-around happy vibe. Thanks to this incredible community the shop is usually filled with smiley faces, bodies of all sorts having a kanikani, and a creative environment. I stock a lot of amazing hemp products which are definitely the favourite, and natural fibres are really starting to become a big passion of mine. I strive to support local and ethical brands that do good for our environment and our people.
What’s in store for the shop?
My future vision for the store is to keep creating a positive colourful space for the people of my community and our visitors. To keep having fun with it, and for it to be a strong destination store here in Whāingaroa! Aaaannnnnd to keep dressing my friends haha, that’s the fun part. It is so cool to see the pieces from the shop out on the streets.
What’s the best thing about running the store?
I think my favourite part has to be wearing all the hats of the business…I have learnt so much about the “serious” side of the business during this process but I have also learnt that I can keep it fun throughout. Being surrounded by beautiful kākahu all day is fun and dressing people in my community is so so so rewarding.
How has lockdown been for the store?
Lockdown has been weird…it hasn’t been ideal timing for me but I am so grateful to everyone who has supported me through these crazy times! This community is so solid and powerful. But I gotta say, I’m excited to open up those doors and get the people in here!
Any words for the community?
A huge mihi to everyone for the support! Follow along with the shop Instagram @everyonesstoreraglan for updates and hop on the website if you wanna have a look at what we have! So, with all that being said…Nau mai, haere mai ki Everyone’s Store Raglan
