The January 2025 ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence survey showed a fall into negative territory, nationwide retail spending is still flat and Business South identified consumer demand and confidence as a top issue. Yet as many retailers in Dunedin are feeling ongoing pressure, one has achieved year-on-year record sales for the last three years; and they are doing it their own way.
Guild began in 2015, set up by a group of local creatives who realised that a retail presence in the CBD was impossible alone. Banding together, the artists, designers and crafts people formed a not-for-profit collective called Dunedin Designed Inc. and opened a retail store, Guild, to sell their wares. Ten years on, the store is going from strength to strength with 2024 sales up 50% on the previous financial year.
Local creatives rent space in the store, and the majority of each sale, 88%, goes directly back to the maker. Each creative volunteers time to staff the shop and the organisation aims to provide a cohesive base for networking, support and professional development, allowing the local community of designers and makers to develop their brands.
Jeweller Susan Videler is a member of the store and says Guild "nourishes and enriches makers and the community. It provides a cohesive and supportive environment for fledgling artists and those of us who have been around a while".
Permanent members sell goods in store that range from fashion, jewellery, art, ceramics, homewares and fragrances, all designed and produced in Dunedin, by Dunedin residents. They feature national pop-up guests, a total of 31 hosted in the last financial year, and support and collaborate with Otago Polytechnic design students.
The organisation aims to serve the Ōtepoti design community in general; providing an incubator for new creatives and contributing to the design culture of the city.
"It is a refreshing, innovative hub of local artists and designers, because it is ‘everything made in New Zealand, in one place’ customers don’t have to second-guess where the product is from. Customers also have direct access to designers for a custom product. Designers have a functioning co-operative space to showcase their products, which they might not have been able to do on their own. We really are quite unique, the whole system is a win-win for the customer and the designer".
The success of Guild is in sharp contrast to much of Dunedin’s retail landscape. In June 2024 the retail occupancy survey by Quantify Consulting showed the highest retail vacancy figure recorded in the past 10 years.
At Guild you know you are getting truly local products, made by locals, which is part of why customers choose to shop there, but it is also the collectivist nature of the organisation that has helped it to thrive.
"This model is one that has really worked for us in Ōtepoti, and it is one that could be implemented in other cities around New Zealand. It can be difficult for practitioners to make a start on their creative career, especially in finding a public-facing space other than online in the current economic climate. A collective like Guild means that creative brands can find consumers who want to buy high-quality, beautifully designed and made things, and know they are supporting local artists, who in turn enrich the city’s arts and culture scene."
And it has been good for the city, Dunedin city councillor Sophie Barker says.
"The thing I love the most about Guild is the collective approach and their working-together ethos. It’s wonderful to be able to walk into the shop, meet one of the designers and have a knowledgeable and inspiring conversation about the creations on display. For any retail shop to survive is hard work, 10 years with a collective is a major triumph and shows the connections, trust and creativity that thrive in Dunedin."
For the 10th birthday celebration, Guild will be open this weekend, with new pop-up guests, including jewellery by Milena Janke, and new exclusive pieces from Hokonui Fashion Design Awards 2024 best Southland designer Viv Tamblyn. All resident designers are producing new pieces for the celebration.
