Soccer Shop nets Top Shop honours

By CHRIS GARDNER - Waikato Times | Thursday, 16 October 2008

Shane Comber was named owner of the Waikato 's top shop last night.

Mr Comber, who with his wife Terri runs The Soccer Shop on Kahikatea Drive , scored twice at the Waikato Top Shop Retail Excellence Awards hosted by the New Zealand Retailers Association at Kingsgate Hotel.

He also took home the lifestyle and fitness award, beating Snapshot Camera in Hamilton and the Stitchin' Stuff Bernina Centre in Te Awamutu.

The anonymous judges said The Soccer Shop stood out from the rest.

"The service was consistently enthusiastic and exceptional at all times.

"The functional layout is easy to navigate," they said.

Waitomo's Huhu Store and Cafe won the innovation and start-up categories.

Judges said staff had beautifully prepared and presented locally grown Maori potatoes and had an amazing collection of New Zealand-made souvenirs.

"We left feeling very proud that visitors to New Zealand would be treated so well."

The judges said it was difficult to find fault with Nite 'n' Day Fashions, in Morrinsville, which won the fashion footwear and accessories category.

The Gouda Cheese delicatessen, on Thomas Road , won the food and beverage category for its knowledgeable, forthcoming and friendly customer service.

Home Design, in Chartwell, won the giftware and homeware category, and the health and beauty category was won by the Hardy's store in Downtown Plaza , Hamilton .

Mitre 10 Mega, at The Base, won the large format category for its "all-round shopping experience" including its play area, coffee shop and helpful staff.

Arts Post, on Victoria Street , was the speciality category winner for its visually stimulating and great, clever grouping of merchandise and a prompt but unhurried service.

The region's top supermarket was New World , Te Rapa, which the judges thought was well presented with uncluttered aisles and polite service.

The best customer service came from Esteem Menswear, on Victoria Street , which provided attentive, highly personalised, proactive and respectful, but not pushy, service.

Awakening style for inner man

New Zealand Herald, 5:00AM Sunday December 23, 2007
By Nicola Shepheard

Carolyn Longden brings out blokes' inner gorgeousness. Photo / Stephen Barker

Carolyn Longden has taken personal shopping to a new level. She dispenses her sartorial know-how for free to her customers, who come from around the country and Australia for her formidably personalised service.

Step into her three-year-old Hamilton store, Esteem Menswear, and you instantly know this is no ordinary clothes shop.

The store is split in half: one side for cool tones, one for warm tones.

Grey carpet and chrome fittings on the cool side, brown carpet and chocolate brown-painted fittings on the warm one. Even the tinsel switches colour at the centreline.

Once customers have been assigned their tonal type, says Longden, a fervent colourist, they are only allowed on that side of the shop.

Her mission is to bring out Kiwi blokes' inner gorgeousness.

"We're not a fashion shop," she says. "We don't promote ourselves on whose labels we have, there are no promotional signs or photos of models. We're almost opposite to the fashion and beauty industry because we believe that our customer is perfect just as he is."

Longden, a 49-year-old grandmother, has training in colours and kinesiology (study of movement in the human body), which she draws on.

She takes on the triple tyranny of women who dress their men in the colours they like, rather than the ones that suit him; the narrowness of men's fashion; and blokes' bad rep in the wardrobe department.

"Men do have intuition [about what suits them]. They just don't think they do."

Regular customer Malcolm Cox first visited Esteem when he was promoted to principal of Raglan Area School. "I didn't want to go dressed as a peacock but I didn't want to fall over either."

Longden helped the 53-year-old father of seven buy a mix-and-match wardrobe that didn't kill him financially.

It also boosted his confidence more than he expected, and got the vital thumbs-up from his wife.

"I'm not a passionate dresser, but what I do know is that I can trust Carolyn.

"She's so passionate about getting it right for you, it's fun in a scary way. If you grew up as a farmer's boy, it's a whole new experience."