We find out which tenants of Queen Street’s historic shopping arcade are moving, which are going online and which are still TBC.

Wander down to Queens Arcade, that handsome old retail building in downtown Auckland, and you’ll find a handful of empty stores. The rest will soon be gone too. Recent years have seen the historic property increasingly quiet as tenants left and weren’t replaced. Spiral staircases sit unused, relics of a retail heyday. On a good day the atrium is filled with light, as it was last Wednesday, with a dozen shoppers wandering through the two levels. One couple was enjoying a rest in front of a mural of the harbour, while others perused the moving-out sales.

The owners of Queens Arcade have decided it’s time for a revamp. The Davis family has owned the place for 97 years, since it was built in 1929, and is spending more than $5 million on the makeover, which will see the historic arcade transformed into a luxury retail destination. Construction starts on April 1 and the aim is to bring it into line with the growing number of high-end stores at the bottom of Queen Street. A yet-to-be-named local luxury brand will be one of the three dozen retailers – among which we can expect an assortment of flagship stores and “appointment-based” shopping. A “health and wellbeing hub” is planned for upstairs.

It’s not the only old arcade to experience the upheaval of change in recent years. Karangahape Road’s St Kevins Arcade underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2015. Back down on Queen Street, Strand Arcade, which battled a lengthy period of vacancies, has been slowly filling up with tenants.

A scheduled historic heritage place in the Auckland Unitary Plan, Queens Arcade was designed by Bloomfield & Hunt architects and built by Fletcher Construction. A novel concept from an era before malls and chain stores, it encompasses a five-storey building on the corner of Customs Street and Fort Lane, with an L-shaped arcade (in 1944 some sailors rode a horse through it) that wraps around behind the Dilworth Building, connecting onto Queen Street and another building. Last refurbished in 1981, the property is currently valued at $26 million, according to Auckland Council. 

The luxury revamp will be a dramatic departure from the arcade’s current form – it’s hard for anywhere to feel glamorous when it’s half empty. The stores that have remained are a mixture of specialty shops and service-orientated businesses. You can buy a new kitchen knife, pick up some Magic The Gathering cards, have a massage and book a holiday all in the same arcade. It’s an eclectic mix and the arcade’s history is eclectic too, even back in the grand old days.

Among the many tenants to have graced this building were The Hearing Aid Supply Co, a billiards hall, Amalgamated Brick & Pipe Co Ltd, florists, Fisher and Paykel, silk purveyors, several hat shops, Auckland Travel Club, and the “lavishly” furnished radio station 1ZB.

Of the current shopholders, some have been there for decades while others are more recent additions. All have to be out by the end of March. Where are they going?

Some are shifting nearby

The family-run Applewood Kitchen Shop has been a Queens Arcade staple for 35 years, even as shops around it have disappeared. They were notified of the planned overhaul at the end of November. “It makes sense that they want to turn it into something,” says manager Nicholas Bennett. “It will be lovely if they do bring it back to what it was.” The Bennetts have had a good run. “[Queens Arcade] management really helped us through the difficult times, when Covid came and business really did drop.” A new space on High Street should see more foot traffic, they hope. The old premises are in the midst of a big sale, reducing stock before the shift. “We’ve had lots of customers coming in, some we’ve had for a long, long, long time.” Bennett plans to be out a week before the March 31 deadline.

Applewood’s not the only store moving to High Street; Florsheim footwear is relocating there too, and womenswear boutique Frontline has already done so. 

Most of the hair salons have found new premises. Ecstasy hairdressers is about to sign a lease in the Dingwall Building 200 metres up Queen Street. Boutique Salon is moving to Achilles House after two decades in the arcade. Kay, who works in the salon, says she’s been coming to Queens Arcade since she was a child; her mother ran Raymond Furs.

Some of the current tenants have put signage out communicating their future location – a note in the window of Hana Floral Design displays its new address of 24/35 Albert Street – while others are relying on word of mouth.

King of Cards already has new business cards. The games shop is moving to Queen Street’s Canterbury Arcade next week, reopening March 6. The store benefits from dedicated clientele, who they communicate with using Facebook, instead of running a website.

Tailor Preston & Maurice Ltd doesn’t have an online presence at all. “It’s just word of mouth,” says owner Brendon De Silva. Most of his clients are local and come for the traditional, truly bespoke tailoring. De Silva makes every suit by hand, which takes 120 hours, and he produces around 20 a year. He’s been taking on less work ahead of the move to 2 Birdwood Crescent in Parnell “It’s just going to be for a year or two, hopefully, and then see what happens.” Moving everything is a “pretty major” ordeal. The button hole machine alone weighs around 100kg. 

Preston & Maurice has been in the arcade for around 15 years, but the business itself dates back to 1897. It’s passed through several families since then, with De Silva taking over in 2014. He reckons it takes around 20 years to get good at the trade, drawing a diagram of the confidence-ability curve on a tailor board in chalk. That and everything else in the store – fabric, tailoring tools, books, paper patterns, mannequins – will be packed up and relocated during March.

Moving Hoony Chae’s cafe will cost at least $15,000, even though it’s not going very far. The Eos Coffee is shifting to the corner of Customs Street and Fort Lane, on the exterior of the building Queens Arcade inhabits. “It’s a temporary spot,” explains Chae. “But it’s a big decision for us.” They’re not just installing an espresso machine and cabinet; there’s plumbing, electricity, drainage, water supply to do, as well as recertification. But Chae is looking forward to having a street frontage. Eos will operate as a pop-up while the renovation is completed, and they hope to move back into Queens Arcade – “It’s a really nice heritage building.” His cafe, which has been there for four years, will close on March 14 and reopen April 6 in the new space.

Travel company FlexiToursNZ isn’t going far either; it too is moving out of the arcade but staying in the building.

So is Photo Warehouse, which will move to the Customs Street entrance of the arcade and return to its current spot once the renovation is complete.

Hair For Men will head to 18 Shortland Street. A helpful Spinoff reader said that the last day in the arcade is March 27, with the barber reopening in the new location on March 30.

Others are moving online

Gallery Pacific has been in Queens Arcade for two and a half years, though the family business has been in the city for 50. Nick Slocombe says redevelopment was an opportunity to try something different; instead of working seven days a week in the store, they will sell their objets d’art, sculpture and jewellery online only. “In retail you don’t take a break.” He’s started to carefully dismantle the store – they’ll be gone by March 31. The timing is good; tourist season, which is big business for them, starts slowing around then.

Record store Marbecks has already gone, taking a similar approach. After 90 years in Queens Arcade the record shop closed its physical store in October last year, shifting to an online-only business.

Some don’t know what they’ll do next

Ferrachi, a clothing and gift store, is waiting to see what happens with the arcade. In the meantime it has other outlets in Howick and Mission Bay.

Nu Eyez Optometrists is yet to confirm a new location.

As for Queens Arcade, the revamp should be done by November. Even though his store is moving out, Slocombe is excited to see the new-look property and thinks it’s positive for the city centre. “The city is a living thing and here’s a new chapter about to occur. It’s Auckland’s time.”