Redcurrent

The seeds were unwittingly sown by two extraordinary women, Kit Acland and Betty McHardy/Coltart. They were my grandmothers, two women of wonderful dignity, taste and style. They influenced my mother Audrey McHardy and me deeply, embuing us with a love of timeless beauty. It wasn't, though, until Audrey had raised five children and had undertaken the daunting task of renovating a beautiful old home in Havelock North that she saw an opportunity to share with the wider world her love of the unusual, the classic and the beautiful. In her early 60s she began bringing a few little treasures home from Bali - surely my mother and father Hamish's favourite place on earth - and friends began to say; "I'd love some of that". And so Redcurrent was born in an old shed at their home, with treasures sold in local markets and among friends. The first Redcurrent store opened in Havelock North in 1999. Since then the same "I'd love some of that" led to Redcurrent opening stores in Auckland (four stores), Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch (two stores), Dunedin, Queenstown and online. To say this is a family business, in the traditional sense, probably doesn't do justice to Redcurrent. The notion of family extends to an extraordinary wider family - our staff and customers. Many of Redcurrent's people have been with us since the start. Their passion for the Redcurrent vision - to be the catalyst for Live Beautifully, Give Beautifully in every respect - is unwavering. They, and our tens of thousands of friends throughout New Zealand ARE Redcurrent. We hope you will join us.