Aunty Mavis

Oh Aunty Mavis, the Aunty I never had, Aunty Mavis you remind me more of my late Granny than any Aunty really. Lovely Aunty Mavis, I am so glad we have met for the first time today. I loved your array of $ 5 aprons and doilies upon doilies. I loved that you were crammed full in every direction in a chaos of old school clutter. Aunty Mavis, what a delight your abode was. Aunty Mavis I will be sure to visit again real soon, and pass on to many other unknown relatives that you exist and to go see you real soon too. Perhaps Aunty Mavis I will bring some $$$$ too next time to spend with you, help you de-​clutter a bit, perhaps on the retro crockery? Or some of the charming clothing I saw draped with nonchalance. Thanks again Aunty Mavis, till next time…

Aunty Mavis is actually one of my favourite stores, and I never even knew it. But I realized recently that I always go in there to see what’s happening in that little retro time capsule retreat. The things in there are so adorable and the lady who runs it (Aunty Mavis? I’m not sure of her name…) well, she’s really friendly. They’ve recently expanded across the ditch, it’s funny because usually there only seems to be one person running the place and they have to run between both stores! A little bit ridiculous, sometimes I wonder about theft but I then, maybe the people who like these kinds of things aren’t the type to steal (no! Stereotyping is bad, everyone is a potential thief…) It’s a great place for gifts, or like… accessories for main gift, if you get me… a necklace in a tea cup perhaps?

Buy these kind of things here:
1. Vinyl travel bags with cute Air New Zealand logos and really great teal colourways.
2. Ancient dolls.
3. Plates. Lots of classy china. Also lots of Crown Lynn for people who really love to eat off of expensive plates which are sometime kind of ugly but are always genuine ‘heritage pieces’.
4. Wooden stuff. Eg: old spice rack.
5. Old books and ‘boys and girls annuals’.
6. Dresses for girls that have flowers or patterns or whatever.
7. Teaspoons. Awesome teaspoons with the queen on them.
8. Possibly hot water bottle covers.
9. Old toasters.
10. Well designed clocks.
11. Whimsical design pieces.
12. Those things where you store your bread.
13. Maybe gollywogs?
At the very least, go there to look that the owner lady’s really great hair and glasses.

Aunty Mavis is the home of antiques, retro and curios in St Kevin’s Arcade. If you’re a total sucker for Crown Lynn crockery like me, Aunty Mavis is the place to go. Alongside Mavis’ collection of crockery is a wide array of furniture, furnishings, collectables and the odd creepy doll staring at you, willing you to simultaneously wander in and stay the hell away. Ardent bargain bin diggers will probably hate the prices, but if you’re in the market for something cute, retro and often New Zealand made, Mavis will have it… you just might have to pay a bit for it.

Aunty Mavis feels just like that — it’s as if you’ve stepped into your elderly aunt’s house where everything is a jumble of treasures waiting to be discovered.
Everything in the shop gives you the feeling that it’s been hand-​picked especially to bring a smile to your face. The shop is filled with excellent vintage crockery that’s old enough to be quaint, but not yet old enough (or rare enough) to be really pricey. Think the mid-​century stuff, like the less-​collectable Crown Lynn. There’s also a range of delectable linen and books, clothes (mostly from the 1970s), and household bits and pieces.