Enduring furniture repair shop: McDonald and Hartshorne Quality Furniture Specialists
Supporting local is a way of life for proud Cantabrians.
Congratulations are due for a special Christchurch business success story on reaching their 20-year anniversary in January 2024.
As for most Ōtautahi businesses, the last 15 years have been a particularly wild ride, meaning there’s all the more reason to celebrate and share in the joy of such tenacity and success.
Pursuing a reuse, recycle, and repair philosophy long before it became fashionable has been the focus and passion for the team at McDonald and Hartshorne.
“Initially we began in our first shop in Aldwins Rd in 2004, and expanded to a retail store in Manchester Street in 2007,” says Admin Manager Neke McDonald.
“Going into retail was no mean feat, and not without turbulence. The site was expensive and the Global Financial Crisis arrived in 2008. Our focus has always been reupholstery and reusing; in retail we forged ahead, promoting New Zealand-made with a splash of certain imports.”
The early-morning September 2010 earthquake sent furniture crashing instore, along with the showroom’s big windows. “We began by securing the store, as the pilfering had already started,” recalls Neke. Six months later, the February earthquake took them out completely.
“Looking back, it was a blessing in disguise, although it didn’t feel that way at the time,” says Neke. “As the three of us have always worked this business, we had to split into separate locations to work for the next 18 months. The reupholstery moved to our storage facility, the office moved home, and what was left of the retail was sold or returned.”
In 2013 the team moved to a shared location on Brougham Street, while 2015 saw another shift to a larger shared location in St Asaph St. “The boys kept an eye on next door which is our final resting place, at 424 St Asaph St.
“Together, with our amazing skilled team, we continue to service the greater Canterbury region and the South Island,” says Neke.
