It was back in 1999 when Craig and Glenys Dawson traded corporate life for country living.
Both originally from Dunedin, they had been living in Oamaru and holidaying up the road in Omarama where they had bought a holiday home eight years earlier.
Continually drawn to the Waitaki Valley township, they decided to make the move to permanent, acquiring the former Omarama Trading Post and embarking on a retail career.
GlenCraig’s Clothing quickly outgrew the tiny store which was rebuilt in 2001. In the early years, the business catered for the “top half” of the body, and later added the bottom.
The Dawsons started with one very good sales representative who put them in front of other representatives and the business grew having significant turnover, which they were proud of.
With their strongest trading years since Covid-19, the couple said they were “bowing out on a high” as they prepared to sell up.
Now in their 60s, they wanted to do “more tripping around” although they had structured the business so both they and their staff had plenty of time off.
When they started employing staff, they divided the work day into two shifts — from 8am to 1pm, and from 1pm to 5.30pm — so everyone could enjoy the lifestyle Omarama afforded.
Weekends were the busiest days and, by being open seven days, potential customers always knew that they were open.
One wintry Sunday in June, Mr Dawson had just $53 in the till at 2pm when a van-load of two families walked in and spent $2000 on clothing.
With Omarama conveniently sited at the junction of State Highway 8 and 83 — “a blue ribbon route” — there was more traffic during the busy months than through State Highway 1 in Oamaru, Mr Dawson said.
Although Omarama was a popular tourist stop, the couple had intentionally targeted the domestic market and that was something tourists liked.
Omarama was a melting pot of visiting nationalities and their clientele was diverse; from Norwegian fishermen to hunters from the United States.
They might sell socks to a passing truck driver, a pair of moleskin trousers to a farmer, a shawl to wear to a wedding and sandals for a Fiji holiday. There was strong support from both the local community and wider central South Island area.
Notable visitors included American millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, accompanied by former Nasa test pilot Einar Enevoldson, who spent time in Omarama attempting a gliding altitude record. There were also customers from the movies Mulan and Lord of the Rings which were filmed nearby.
They had just finishing rebuilding the shop in 2001 when three very well-dressed men came in. As they left, the Dawsons realised one had a jersey over his arm which he had not paid for.
When he started to run through the town, some locals clicked on and managed to apprehend him, returning him to the store until police arrived.
It turned out he was wanted by Interpol and his two mates — who had driven off — were later apprehended while crossing Cook Strait.
But the couple believed shoplifting was not a major problem because it was an intimate experience visiting the shop, and they and their staff engaged with customers.
They had a fairly simple and positive approach to business and Mr Dawson did not get too bothered by the likes of business confidence surveys — he said the biggest secret was “keep your head down and keep going”. They did not “sweat the small stuff”.
Their stock was practical and it was also the stuff they liked personally. From the outset, they wanted to stock good quality products at a slightly lower mark-up.
Omarama lies within a significant fine wool growing area and the Dawsons were passionate supporters of the fibre, stocking many woollen items.
They did not stock polypropylene thermals, saying helicopter pilots in the area could tell if people were wearing synthetic fibres — because of the smell.
Recently, they replaced the 23-year-old wool carpet in the shop which, apart from in the main traffic areas, was still in good condition, with New Zealand-made carpet tiles from Wools of New Zealand, sourced from an Omarama carpet business.
Mr Dawson said having previously worked in the insurance industry, he could walk into a house after a fire and tell immediately what sort of carpet was in it.
If it was nylon, then “everything was black and charred and foul”, but if it was wool — with its fire-retardant properties — then it was only singed.
With both coming from the corporate sector, it was so nice to be able to “call our own tunes” and it had been a wonderful lifestyle.
“It’s not really a time to be sad, it’s just the next part of our life. If I look back, I wouldn’t do anything different. It’s just been a fun journey,” Mr Dawson said.
Both have been heavily involved in the Omarama community — feeling it was important to give back — and Mr Dawson has had two stints as a councillor on the Waitaki District Council and he has also been chairman of the Ahuriri Community Board.
Much of the progress in the town had come through businesses and it was a strong community with everyone making a contribution, Mrs Dawson said.
For them, everything was at the back door and they did a lot of swimming in the lake, enjoyed the outdoor lifestyle and the “beautiful” air.
After five minutes out on Lake Benmore on the boat, it felt like they were on holiday, even if it was just for the afternoon, Mrs Dawson said.
“We think it’s the most beautiful spot in the world,” her husband added.
Already, there had been interest expressed in the business and both acknowledged they would miss it when they walked out the door for the final time. Their corgi Lizzie — named after the late Queen Elizabeth — was also likely to miss it.
With the Dawsons living only five minutes from the shop, 8 and-a-half-year-old Lizzie was very familiar with the route and, when let off the lead, would run through the door.
“She’s probably going to keep coming,” Mrs Dawson said.
