Shipwreck Trading
Shipwreck Trading store brings treasures to Seaview Marina
Wellington couple Robert Baldock and Margie Petherick opened their Shipwreck Trading shop recently and the place is humming. Located on the Seaview Marina, people are visiting from as far away as Auckland and driving up the South Island to purchase and fill their cars with a range of eclectic industrial ship treasures they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.
In just three months, the couple designed their unique shop using recycled New Zealand products and the whole fit out cost them only two thousand dollars. Display shelving was built out of 400 apple crates and wooden pallets were used to create an impression of a dockside which is fitting with the location of Seaview Marina.
“Its an incredible location, it has a culture and feel about the place. If we put the shop in Kelburn it wouldn’t have the same feel. People of all ages are coming out to the store and say ‘Wow, we didn’t know this place existed’.” says Robert.
Robert’s experience in the prop industry has helped him know where to go and who to speak with to source the items. As former owners of the Wellington film related props and sets business Westside Studio’s, Robert has maintained his contacts in the industry, enabling him to get to all the difference pockets of the world to draw in the unique industrial ship items.
Shipwreck Trading offers an array of shipwreck salvage items with the most popular being lighting, in which people like to use copper and brass lighting in their kitchens. Robert travels to India where there is a marketplace for dismantling broken down ships, pulling them apart and on selling the individual lighting items. After purchasing the items, he then gets them cleaned up, rewired to New Zealand standards and they are then ready to sell at Shipwreck Trading.
Another popular purchase is flag converted cushions. Robert seeks bails of country flags and they are then converted into cushions. The ropes and brass fittings are left on the cushions
“Every cushion is bespoke and we can’t keep up on cushion production at the moment, it’s just taken off!”.
The shop is also incredibly accessible offering something for everyone depending on their budget with items ranging from $15 - $5000.
“The other day we sold a 400-year-old cannon ball to an older gentleman. We are selling to people from all ages and backgrounds. From people building new homes or renovating to dealers from the South Island who will fill their vans and go back to sell in their own shops.” says Robert.
For more information about what is new at the store head over to the Facebook Page.
Find Shipwreck Trading at:
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