Places To Discover
Exhibition Spaces: DEMO & Ūkiapō
Whitecliffe's working studio and art gallery & a creative space for artist gatherings.
Film shoot
Like vinyl records, old-school photographic film is having a resurgence. We speak with Nick White, photographer and owner of film lab Fivethirty, to find out more.
Isadia
Combined talents and combined names are behind a floral design studio nestled in a light-filled heritage building in Kelly St.
On Hand
‘Needs must’ is as good a reason as any to start a business says Izzy Harrison, owner of On Hand, Uptown’s newest second-hand and handmade store.
Inside the doors of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre
One of the most charismatic buildings in the Uptown area is the Mahatma Gandhi Centre on New North Road.
Based in Uptown, selling to the world
Fashion brand Porter James Sports is slaying it internationally with its e-commerce approach and intentional design model.
Heroes rise up
Heroes for Sale has been a stalwart of the comics scene for 30 years. But when outside forces conspired against owners Stu and Sue Colson it looked like doom for the Auckland institution...
UFO Rodeo lands in Uptown
Leon Kirkbeck isn’t quite sure when he started “people collecting”, but it’s an endearing descriptor for a managing director and a clue to Augusto’s kaupapa and why it has endured.
Hookd
At 29D Mt Eden Road, Hookd is so much more than a hairdressing salon – it is a commitment to community.
Three Dice Tattoo
If you’ve ever thought of impulsively stepping off the street and into a tattoo parlour, rolling up a sleeve and telling a tattoo artist to go for it, Three Dice Tattoo could be the place for you.
The tale of Father Rabbit
Sarah Daniell talks with the founders of Father Rabbit, Claudia Zinzan and Nick Hutchinson, about connection, community and things that last.
Born to run
Think running is a solitary sport? Think again.
Shoe Science has barely opened its doors when a customer bolts in...
Climb for fitness
It is said timing is everything and when Auckland Climbing Gym (ACG) opened on 1 October 2023, there were lines of people...
Good Stuff
Good Stuff at 127 Symonds St is a vintage, designer and gently loved clothing store with proceeds going to the Auckland City Mission...
Discovering hair extensions
If I had a dollar for every time a friend said they wished their hair was less curly, straighter, thicker or longer, I’d be a wealthy woman...
The art of setting a good table
Kiwis have a passion for entertaining. Whether it’s around the dining table, kitchen island or outdoors by the barbeque, enjoying a shared...
Georgia Jay
If you don’t recognise the name Georgia Jay, the brand’s distinctive handbags might be more familiar.
Starkwhite
You could have been forgiven for not noticing the nondescript building at 94 Newton Road before dealer gallery Starkwhite moved in.
Let's go Surfing
The Surfboard Warehouse is making surfing more accessible with quality, affordable surfboards made for New Zealand conditions.
Two good men keeping it local
Ratbags concept store holds a vibrant, lovingly curated mash-up of covetable handmade clothing, jewellery and hats.
Benny's Bike Shop
To set foot in Bennys Bike Shop is to step into a very particular world. It’s not just the bikes, each with its own story to tell...
Ultimate Barber Styles
It’s a busy Friday afternoon at Ultimate Barber Styles. Two guys in their 20s are sitting for super-sharp skin fades...
Knives Out
There are few stores as iconic as Uptown’s House of Knives. Opened in 1987, New Zealand’s first dedicated knife store...
Cakes n Ladders
Don’t let the weather get you down; there’s plenty to keep you dry, warm and entertained around Uptown this winter.
Rolling Through the Years
In the world of New Zealand skate- boarding, one name towers above all others. Its legacy, unrivaled.
Hats off to you
Somehow, one of the world’s most sustainable and comfortable fabrics is one of the most misunderstood.
Uptown taonga
Peter Lamont has been in the greenstone business since he was 20 years old – and he’s just turned 83.
Day in the life: Kanoa Lloyd
Talented broadcaster Kanoa Lloyd is a vibrant, strong wahine toa who beams into the nation’s living rooms five nights a week.
The art of auctioneering
Webb’s auction house has a unique New Zealand heritage, which was instigated by its founder, Peter Webb, a key art dealer of his time.
Not Your Average Joe
After an injury forced him out of playing competitive rugby, Joe Naufahu was motivated to share what he had learned about fitness.
Bloc Collective celebrates road reopening this summer
The closure of Normanby Road roundabout for construction of the Mt Eden underground train station has made access to Bloc Collective tricky for more than a year, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel, with the road set to reopen soon.
Uptown's Musical Treasure
If you look up Bungalow Bills on Google Street View, you won’t see much. Walk up the alley and you’ll find a place that, for a certain kind of person, is paradise.
The Fabric Store
Behind the doors of an unassuming fabric shop, a quiet revolution is taking place.
Music in Minnie Street
There are a million DJs in the world, figuratively speaking. No one knows exactly how many. But what can be said is that hundreds of thousands of people around the world use DJ gear made by Numark and Denon.
A Day in the Life: Mukpuddy
Ryan Cooper built Mukpuddy with two buddies fresh out of animation school and has grown the business supplying animated children’s shows to TVNZ, Channel Ten and ABC (Australia).
Shoot it, stream it, and share it
Suzanne McNamara catches up with the Wrightsons, who live and work in Uptown.
Southbound in Uptown
When Jeffrey and Lisa Stothers were sizing up a new home for Southbound Records six years ago, one thing was very important: how does music sound in this room?
Flying high with kiteworks
From giant monarch butterflies to a scary pirate, kites are fabulous, fun and affordable Christmas presents for young and old.
It's all in the Mindlab
Frances Valintine isn't afraid of change. When she founded The Mind Lab in 2013, she left behind 14 years at Media Design School in the central city.
Roll up, roll up, the circus is in (Up)town!
Bayaraa Odonchimeg and Baya Khaltar met as youngsters attending full-time circus school in Mongolia.
Family owned print business turns 100
Soar Print began life in Onehunga in 1920, then moved to New North Road in 2000. This year, the company is celebrating 100 years of not just surviving, but thriving – in spite of depressions, recessions, world wars and pandemics.
Book Miracles
In 2017, it looked like the end of the story for the Hard to Find Bookshop. After 35 years, it seemed there wasn't anywhere for Warwick and his 90,000 books to go.
A day in the life at Master Mechanics
This issue we meet Wiremu Burkhardt, 34, the owner and head mechanic at Master Mechanics on Upper Queen Street.
A Day in the Life at Gemmell's
This issue we meet Arran Gemmell, 38, a fourth-generation cobbler, leathersmith and co-owner, with brother Blair, of Gemmell’s on Symonds Street.