Paul Bishop is the new owner of the Naseby General Store and is eager to help Naseby stand out on the map.
Beyond running the general store, he wants to run a dark-sky astronomy tour in the town.
Originally from England, Mr Bishop studied astrophysics at the University of London and worked for Kodak for 14 years.
In 2003, he emigrated to New Zealand for a "better way of life".
"I knew it’d be the sort of place for me because I love the outdoors."
He moved to Mosgiel and worked in gardening and wastewater treatment.
But astronomy was always his passion, and he dreamed about returning to the field.
He heard about the Naseby Vision community group’s application for the town to gain international Dark Sky accreditation, so he got in touch and expressed his interest in being a dark sky tour guide.
The Aoraki-McKenzie region and Great Barrier Island are the only two places in New Zealand to have international Dark Sky accreditation and, if Naseby was successful, it would be the third.
Mr Bishop’s love for the stars convinced him to move to the town and buy the store.
"When I heard the store was up for sale, I thought what a great opportunity to take over an existing business, try and build it a bit — it gives me some income to start with and also it gives me a great space to promote the other ideas that I’ve got, like the dark sky tours.
"But he admitted he knew little about the town before buying the store.
"I know it’s got this heritage, olde-worlde feel about it."
He had a holiday with his children in Naseby and decided he liked it.
"It was just a fleeting visit but it had a nice feel about it and everyone I’ve talked to says [they] love Naseby."
He aimed to have the dark-sky tours operating by autumn 2018 and use the store as the tour’s headquarters.
Mr Bishop took over from Marilyn Swinbourn, who brought the store back from the brink in 2014.
The store had closed and there was not much to justify keeping the mail service and food store open for 100 people, Mrs Swinbourn said.
But the community wanted to keep the store alive.
"A closed building tends to look like a sign of decay and Naseby was not ready to head into the downward spiral seen so often in small rural communities," Mrs Swinbourn said.
"Having the doors open and a welcome flag out shows there is life and colour to the place."
She brought the Naseby Sewing Room into the store building, and restarted the general store on a smaller scale.
"Its been a big commitment but I loved being a shopkeeper.
"I loved the daily contact with so many people," Mrs Swinbourn said.
Mrs Swinbourn retired on December 14.
"I welcome Paul to the community and encourage everyone to show the same support and friendship I have enjoyed."
Naseby Vision chairman John Crawford said the store was "part of the lifeblood" of the town and it was important to sustain the services for the community.
"Paul’s going to be a master ice cream-maker and having a qualified astronomer is a big boost for the town."
