The right place
The seeds were sown for Tessa Peach’s opening of Frances Nation when she was travelling in her twenties – fascinated by the interiors and atmosphere of small local businesses she encountered.
“I worked at Leila’s shop and cafe in London for a while, and I realised how much creativity and community engagement a small store could entail, so I decided to head home and set up my own small business.”
Once back, she embarked on a quest to uncover the best craftspeople creating artisanal wares in Aotearoa.
“I spent a year travelling the country looking for what we make onshore. I realised it was such a word-of-mouth community… one maker would reference someone else who was making something extraordinary, so off I’d go to meet them.”
Alongside the homeware store, based at The Arts Centre, Tessa launched a café, Frances Nation Café, in 2020.
The past year has seen Frances Nation grow further, moving the Home Store to a ground-floor space seven times the size of the original shop.
“It was an exciting time. I’ve been able to add a lot of new products, including New Zealand books.”
Tessa says she loves her home at the Arts Centre and also life in Christchurch.
“I’ve always liked this part of town. It’s relaxing and beautiful. It feels like the right place to have a shop like Frances Nation.”
“I’m such a big fan of Christchurch. My friends tease me quite a lot about how into it I am. I do think Christchurch is hugely underrated. It’s down to earth, relatively affordable compared to our other cities, and it’s getting greener, better prepared for the future, more diverse, and more pedestrian and cycle-friendly, which are big ticks for me.”
Tessa encourages people to explore their city more and support local businesses.
“One of the biggest ways we have an impact these days is by how and what we consume.”
As the year marches on, Tessa is due to hit the road again in search of more New Zealand-made goods and looking forward to spending time in the spaces and with the people that bring her joy: “My business, my house, my garden, my wife Emma, and our dog Spy.”