Station 73 is a gorgeous little cafe and gift shop teeming with history and character. Positioned in the old railway building in Springfield, it's a lovely peaceful little spot off the beaten track. Today I caught up with Trish Lavery, whose passion about local businesses and community has resulted in the old station rooms being filled with a smorgasboard of treasures from local creators.
The shop is run by a variety of people including volunteers, some of whom are also suppliers - this ties in with Trish's dream of creating a space that is really owned by the local community, and provides a platform ( #sorrynotsorry #punsmakelifefun ) for small businesses to form, grow and develop.
As you enter the building, you can see where the tickets were once issued, and you're surrounded with sights like this.
And although the building is old, it smells amazing, with locally made candles and soaps stationed ( #stillnotsorry ) at the door.
You could spend a long time looking through the displays, as there's a truly remarkable variety with something interesting for everybody. There's a rack of second hand clothing, but Trish says that items fly off the rack so the actual items available change pretty often.
There's also a great selection of antiques as it's a personal interest of Trish's. This was one of my favourite finds.
Trish's real passion though, is finding those special items that are made local - the closer the better - by some of the skilled people within our community.
The different things that people come up with are really fantastic, but the most encouraging thing for me is to see people putting themselves out there and being proud of what they can do.
But the gift shop isn't the only reason to come - both the shop and cafe are filled with items of historical value. From photos, old machinery and equipment to the old cashbooks, there are items dating back over a hundred years.
Trish loves hearing stories of people who come in with family connections to the station - some of whose names can be found with a little searching.
Kids will also love to come and see the place (as my children did), playing on the old "rocking motorcycle" and poking about some of the interesting objects, watching trains rattle on by, or even setting up a little drawing station with paper and pens supplied by the friendly staff.
Or maybe poking around the shop themselves...
And maybe getting into a wee bit of mischief?
THERE'S that other doll!! (Who can stand in the way of true love?)
I highly recommend making the time to come and see the place for yourself, with it's warm atmosphere and friendly staff and GOOD coffee! It's a great hang out spot for locals to meet up as well as tourists passing through. It's places like this that really capture the kiwi culture of our vibrant small towns - and not too far off the tracks ( #illneverbesorry #shouldlvebeenadad #punsarefun ).
Gift Shop Open Hours (73 Connection)
9am to 1pm every morning except public holidays
Cafe Open Hours (Station 73)
Mornings, Mon to Fri
By Laura Williams