The two new hospitality outlets, opening soon on the ground floor at 246 Forbury Rd, are part of a three-storey apartment and retail complex due to be completed within the first quarter of this year.
No 7 Balmac and The Esplanade owner Katrina Toovey said she was “really excited” to develop the Esplanade precinct as a destination, with the addition of her two new businesses.
Piccolo, a wine bar with a “relaxed bar feel”, would offer small Italian antipasto items from 3pm weekdays and noon during the weekend, she said.
It would straddle the “Kiwi pub culture and the more slightly sophisticated wine-bar experience”, Ms Toovey said.
Meanwhile, Sorella Gelato, an authentic artisan gelato store, would serve small-batch traditionally made gelato using a Maestro gelato machine from Italy.
“And, of course, having somewhere to have an ice cream by the beach is a must-have.”
Ms Toovey said about two years’ planning had gone into the shops since the beginning of the building’s development, and would provide “more reasons to come to St Clair”.
“I think the two new businesses will fit in nicely to all the existing businesses — my business and the others.
“They kind of fill gaps and give people more choice when they come into the area.”
Recruiting was under way for both businesses and they were expected to open later this month or early February, Ms Toovey said.
St Clair Esplanade Ltd co-directors Rebecca Tohill and Grant Henderson are the developers of the complex.
The land had been bare since about 2001, when the former St Clair dairy was demolished.
Ms Tohill said the development was “pretty much finished”.
She expected it would be done in February or March, after the interiors of the four apartments were completed.
St Clair was already a vibrant place, and she was really pleased a well-known business owner such as Ms Toovey had bought both street-level retail sites, Ms Tohill said.
“The street is going to look amazing in terms of its finished state.
“This section was empty for 25 years, so it’s going to look really nice that it’s finally got a building on it that does justice to the area.”
