As regular readers of Channel Magazine will know, we love it when we see investment happening in our town centres. It was a thrill therefore to visit The Promenade building on the corner of Hurstmere Road and The Promenade in Takapuna, where new owner Grant McRae is investing in a complete makeover. He purchased the building 18 months ago.
The pleasing aspect is that businesses are also buying into Grant McRae’s vision for the building – which has parking on the roof and stunning views from all floors – with new tenants moving in or signing up to move in. A member of McRae’s team helping to renovate the building said that he “loves turning something terrible into something special” and he is certainly doing that.
“We are bringing the heritage of the building back,” explained Grant during our tour of the building. “We are keen to create a precinct here. A nice avenue-style retail and business area that is a great place to work and play. We would like to see the trees lit in the road which we believe would add a nice touch.”
The day we visited in early September a new LED neon-like sign was being installed facing onto the Bruce Mason Centre and an added touch has been the restoration of the old signage that is on the corner of the prominent building, facing onto Hurstmere Road.
“We have loved helping Grant restore the building as he always does things very well,” added local builder Aaron Douglas of Hype Builders, which has had a big involvement in the project. “You can see that by the quality of the new bathrooms that have been created for the building on all levels. Quality tiles have been used on both the floor and walls for durability to ensure they last a long time.”
Wood panelling and polished concrete floors are also features of the restored building.
In early September the finishing touches were also being made to the second floor that will be the New Zealand home for Wolters Kluwer. Wolters Kluwer is an international business that operates in 150 countries, servicing legal, business, tax, accounting, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and healthcare markets.
The first floor is the new home of The Barbershop Co. – the Takapuna based business that is the largest and fastest growing men's grooming company in the country, with 20-plus stores.
There are existing tenancies on the ground floor for GPK Bar and Grill, Ocean Culture and fitness business, Vision. The two premises that were once Aroy Dee Thai Restaurant and a massage business are being completely gutted and renovated to accommodate two or three new tenancies.
One of the new businesses going into The Promenade is an exciting new fashion and furniture business being opened by local identity Chantal Chilcott. The store will take her Christian name. Chantal’s opens in early October.
“We are creating a lovely store that we feel Shore people will love,” explained Chantal as we walked through the large space that is being made ready for the store’s opening. “A key part of our furniture range will be CocoHills from Heather Walker. This is a fantastic range of classic and modern furniture and accessories. We will also have a great range of quality women’s and men’s fashion.”
Grant McRae actually owns most of the block from Glengarry’s through to GPK and up to Ocean Culture and Vision Personal Training. He has recently also completed a renovation of the space above One Red Cup Café. This is home to a new restaurant to Takapuna called Little Lamb. This opened in late September and is the third Little Lamb Mongolian Hotpot restaurant in Auckland, with the others in Ellerslie and Newmarket.
The pleasing aspect for Takapuna is that Grant McRae doesn’t intend to stop with just the enhancements he is making to the buildings at the moment. His aim is to improve the entire block over time. Great for Takapuna!
If you are interest in high quality retail or office space in Takapuna you can contact Grant McRae on email: nzmcrae@xtra.co.nz
