Queen St, Lambton Quay, George St — Bledisloe St?
“We’re on the high street of Kurow,” Whistle & Pop founder Bex Hayman exclaims with a wide smile, as she prepares to open her rural-themed jewellery and accessories retail store on Monday.
It might seem a brave move given the economic climate, let alone in a small rural town arguably better known historically for being the ‘hood of All Blacks great Richie McCaw, and with two pubs a stone’s throw apart, rather than for its rollicking retail scene.
Then factor in a busy farming operation in the Hakataramea Valley with husband Tom and three young children — Isabella (7), William (6) and Henrietta (3) — and it might seem rather implausible.
But Mrs Hayman (38) is her father’s daughter; entrepreneurial Lake Tekapo businessman Graeme Murray has contributed to tourism in the Mackenzie district for more than 50 years.
A major figure in the development of Air Safaris, he co-founded Earth and Sky astrotourism (now the Dark Sky project), and became closely involved in the successful initiative to have part of the region formally recognised as a gold status International Dark Sky Reserve.
And Kurow and its surrounds are also becoming quite the hub for innovative women to do innovative things, whether that’s fashion, fancy accommodation or even guided walks in the surrounding hills.
Plus the slow-cooker was on in the Rocky Point kitchen cooking a casserole for the troops last week while Mrs Hayman prepared for opening day.
Her story is one of singer to shopkeeper, with a few twists in between, and involved travelling the world before settling down to life on the land.
Growing up in Lake Tekapo, her dream was always to be a famous singer, and she has opened for the Hollies and sung for Robert Kennedy jun.
She nannied in the United States, which included flying on a private jet to Hawaii, before moving to Auckland for two years, where she worked in cafes by day and sang by night.
After spending time in London and South Africa, she moved back home to Tekapo and, after romance blossomed with Mr Hayman, she shifted permanently over the hill to the Hakataramea Valley.
In 2017, she and her friend Sarah Douglas, from Dome Hills near Livingstone — another newcomer to farming life — set up Young Rural Ladies, a social media site which quickly gained a following and included The Marketplace which featured a variety of items for sale. The aim was to help inspire and motivate other young rural women.
The idea for Whistle & Pop was hatched after Mrs Hayman decided to give her husband a silver dog whistle at their wedding, rather than the more traditional ring which he was unlikely to wear.
Obviously she did not invent the dog whistle; it had been a farming staple long before then. But it sparked an idea about sophisticated jewellery with a rural twist for those with a pull to the land.
She began marketing whistles, along with bullet rings — hence the name Whistle & Pop — and began selling on The Marketplace, the idea being the jewellery could be used on the farm but equally could be worn to town as a stylish accessory.
Then both Mrs Douglas and Mrs Hayman embarked on motherhood and it all got a bit hectic and The Marketplace was closed down.
Mrs Hayman got her own website built and, from then on, Whistle & Pop has continued to grow, her aim being New Zealand’s “go to” rural inspired jewellery brand.
She acknowledged she has got a little teary-eyed as she reflected on that growth, from initially running it from the garage at the cottage at Rocky Point until she outgrew that and was given a larger space in the woolshed.
But by the time her third child arrived, she had decided that packing parcels out of the woolshed was getting a bit much and distribution was shifted to Christchurch while her children literally got on their feet.
She never thought a store would happen, given the existing online business, farming and living a 30-minute drive from Kurow, but it felt right this year to make the move into premises on the corner of Bledisloe St and the Hakataramea Highway.
“All the ducks aligned.”
And she had great support, both from her family and the community. Even her husband, who had been a reluctant male model for product shoots, reckoned he might pop down for a couple of hours in the shop.
At events like the New Zealand Agricultural Show and Wānaka A and P Show, he enjoyed sitting behind the counter at Whistle & Pop’s stall, chatting to the public.
And that, she said, was what it was all about — “rural people talking to other people. The whole thing is connecting people back to the land through our jewellery and accessories, including us.”
As she texted a coffee order to a barista directly across from the store, which was even delivered, Mrs Hayman said the new premises would be a hub. Connection was important to her and she already had ideas of bringing people together via the store.
With sales predominantly online and some wholesalers, the store was also Whistle & Pop’s “advertisement”. “People can come and look and it feels real now,” she said.
There was a disconnect when distribution was in Christchurch and bringing it “back home” and opening a store had been the best thing, she said.
Even before the doors had opened, Mrs Hayman had visitors calling in, including some especially detouring down the Waitaki Valley, rather than taking the inland route through Tekapo. Just don’t tell her father that.
Her inspiration for the jewellery range came when she was outdoors, like doing a gate chain up and thinking it would make a cool necklace, or spying some wire that could make a bangle.
She was an advocate for natural fibres and her hat range was wool. She would also love to one day do something with Rocky Point’s wool clip.
“My problem is I’ve got too much inspiration, I could go crazy, I could really go crazy,” she laughed.
Had she launched such a business say 30 years ago, Mrs Hayman expected it would have been harder. The web had opened up so many opportunities, particularly for those in rural areas, and it was inspiring to see what others in the district were doing.
While she had only been in the store a couple of weeks preparing for the opening, it already felt like her life had more structure and there was now a separation between home life and work.
Earlier this month, Mrs Hayman attended the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Business and Community Excellence Awards where her father received a standing ovation when he was awarded a special commendation.
It was a proud moment for his daughter. “Dad’s the biggest supporter of us (she has three siblings) all. Anything’s possible with my dad, that’s how he thinks.”
And she even dusted off her vocal chords when MC Jackie Clarke, whom she has previously sung with, was giving a $500 airline voucher to anyone who would sing a song.
An impromptu version of Simply the Best quickly followed.
“If someone does that, I’ll get up and sing more often.”
