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Written by Stella Roper (they/she) | @stellyvision | ARTS EDITOR
Having lived in Mount Eden for over a decade now and being an avid lover of anything crafty, the Dominion Rd Geoff’s Emporium has been a happy place of mine for a long time. I have hazy memories of nosing around through the textile aisles, with what felt like endless rows of fabric towering over me like a bedazzled fortress. Hand stretched out, I am greeted by various textures. A smooth satin, a fluffy velvet and some scratchy material I don’t care to know the name of. Endless rows of stickers, jewels and ribbons - providing endless inspiration to me, even now in adulthood.
Serving as a second home to many, Geoffs Emporium provided all sorts of paraphernalia to allow any creative - no matter their experience - to explore art, fashion and craft at a student-friendly price point. It also had a notable array of Halloween costumes.
As it closed its doors on the 1st of February, I can surely say Dominion Road will never be the same. The decision for the Mount Eden location being laid to rest is not specifically due to economic factors, but rather, the owner Deroll Lamb deciding to scale back the emporium empire to only the Brown’s Bay Ike’s Emporium. Deroll (also called Ike) took over the Dominion Rd Geoff’s Emporium from his father, the late Geoff Lamb, who opened Geoff’s Emporium in 1980. Geoff also convinced him to open Ike’s - becoming a Kiwi business spanning two generations. However, as Deroll stated on the Geoff’s Facebook page, “The old guy who runs the place is becoming a little too long in the tooth and needs to slow down a bit.”
While yes, there are fabric stores, $2 shops as well as online shops like Temu and Amazon that seem to sell everything and more, they could never provide the same experience as Geoff’s. An in-person, all-in-one craft store served by incredibly passionate and knowledgeable locals is something rare to see these days, with many other locally run businesses closing down or converting to online storefronts.
The change of consumer habits in purchasing craft products from in-person to online is interesting. In terms of accessibility, I suppose it makes sense: a lot of people don't have time to wander the glittering treasure trove aisles of a local craft store for hours. However, I can guarantee it is an experience you need to live through. Particularly with materials such as fabrics, threads and paper, I think there is value in touching and experiencing the product in person before making a purchase, as often what is pictured online doesn’t match the reality.
Last year, a documentary, The Truth about Temu, came out about the amount of toxic chemicals within fashion products of Shein and Temu, with some, including those for maternity and childrenswear, having unsafe levels of lead, phthalates and PHAS. One faux silver necklace was tested in the documentary, with lab results stating it contained 10 times more lead than is legally allowed in the UK.
Prolonged exposure to heavy metals such as lead can form a large array of issues, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimates that more than 1.5 million deaths globally were attributed to lead exposure in 2021, primarily due to cardiovascular effects. Lead poisoning most prominently affects children, as they may absorb up to 4–5 times as much lead as adults from an ingested dose. There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful impact.
With all this said, I can’t imagine what the concoction of potentially life-threatening ingredients in purchased craft products (in particular jewellery-making materials) could be - but from what is shown in The Truth about Temu, I have a strong idea it isn’t anything reassuring.
Before you ask, I am very aware drop shipping is a real problem that exists within the NZ market. For even an informed consumer, it can be hard to determine whether a product on the shelves of your local department store is not simply a repackaged version of what you saw on AliExpress. It is for that reason that it’s so important to be an actively conscious consumer: This means checking labels for products made in NZ, or doing research before purchasing goods for the next craft session - particularly if kids are playing with (and likely chewing on) them. When health is quite literally on the line, it’s essential to do some level of research.
This is why stores like Geoff’s Emporium mattered. Shopping there wasn’t just some transaction, it was an informed choice. I could trust what I was buying because I had a face to the product and a business owner who could tell me where it came from. That same sense of confidence carries over to other NZ-based, in-person craft stores like Gordon Harris, Spotlight, and Lincraft, where knowledgeable staff can offer guidance and answer queries - something far more reassuring than a faceless customer service email.
Geoff’s Emporium brought in people from all sorts of backgrounds with just as diverse skills and hobbies, and united everyone through the love of making. I wouldn’t have gotten into a lot of the hobbies I have today - and certainly wouldn’t have saved as much money on materials during my time at art school - without Geoff’s. Whatever replaces Geoff’s Emporium, I know I will always hold space for those bright yellow walls and the iconic gorilla costume that had been stapled onto the wall since the beginning of time.
Forever stitched into my memory,
RIP Geoff’s Emporium, Dominion Rd
1980 - 2025
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