South Canterbury based artist Aimy Chin opened her colourful art pop up store Studio Yen last Friday and Statement Trees owners Diane and Trevor Lee opened their plant pop-up shop this week as part of Revitalise Our Places Oamaru (Ropo.
Ropo placemaking lead Cyndi Christensen said Chin had completely transformed her space at 149 Thames St with her beautiful artwork.
"She’s a keeper. It looks amazing, it feels so much bigger," Ms Christensen said.
Chin grew up and went to school in Oamaru and studied fashion design at Otago Polytechnic.
She moved to Sydney in 1995 where she worked with renowned Australian fashion designer Akira Isogawa, later opening and running her own successful boutique vintage store in Newtown, Sydney.
A mother of three, Chin returned to New Zealand in 2020 during the Covid pandemic .
Making art again had been a "healing" journey, she said. She is an advocate for creativity for wellbeing.
"I re-found my love of art after losing a close friend and going through a grieving process."
She was "using art as a tool for healing and how much it helps mental health — using creativity, so it’s not just about art.
"I’d like to encourage people, pick up your journal, pick up your paintbrush, if that’s your thing. Pick up whatever you love, because creativity really helps mental health."
Chin has artwork in the Forrester Gallery in Oamaru, many restaurants and businesses, and has been a repeat entrant in the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Her artwork is predominantly mix medium with acrylics, ink and oils.
Studio Yen has a painting room where Chin can continue to paint "repurposed" canvasses, a passion of hers from her retail days.
Chin is using the repurposed theme to create a special "community collaborative piece" that will eventually be donated to charity.
"The theme is your favourite thing about Oamaru. Someone’s done a little blue penguin, someone’s painted the beach — young ones can use crayons and do a wee stick figure. It could be abstract or whatever you like."
Chin said the cards will be part of a prize draw to receive a signed and framed print by her.
Since opening, she has been commissioned by two private buyers and has sold numerous prints.
At 179 Thames St, Statement Trees, Oamaru’s only plant nursery, opened on Monday.
The Lees were born and bred in North Otago and have lived at their Alma-Maheno Rd site for over 30 years, offering plant and landscaping advice.
Now their pop-up has transplanted what they have been doing by coming to town with a wide range of plants.
The Lees are also working with Edgar Landscapes of Oamaru to offer landscaping advice.
Mrs Lee said they were also working with Badger & Mackerel to create spaces in their pop-up for customers to have their coffee.
Mrs Christensen said it was great to see "real collaboration" among the pop-up retailers.
At this stage one pop-up store was now negotiating an ongoing lease while another site was recently secured by Ropo.
"We have a growing list of people interested."
