Craft shop one year old

Press, 23 June 1984, Page 5

Craft shop one year old

By

DIANA DEKKER

in London

Kiwi Fruits, the New Zealand craft shop in Covent Garden, will celebrate its anniversary next month. Mrs Lynne Milne, who runs the shop, intends to hold a party there on July 30.

The year had been an eventful and successful one. She had no plans to expand, “But in another year’s time we may be looking into that,” she said.

“The shop is small, but then New Zealand is small, too.”

One disappointment, she said, had been the impossibility of obtaining a licence to sell New Zealand wine. She applied for a licence and then appealed against the decision not to let her have one. No reason was given for either decision. Mrs Milne said she was still recovering from the expense of the case. “I have decided to leave things as they are for a little while,” she said. Over the year she has found that people are happy to pay well for high-quality New Zealand craft. Items of paua jewellery set in sterling silver and costing up to £ 200 had been popular, as well as greenstone jewellery and top-class pottery. London Ballet dancers have discovered New Zealand sheepskin slippers and Mrs Milne has sold many pairs. The dancers use the slippers to keep their feet warm before rehearsals.