This article was published in the Dominion on the 21/10/2000.

24th October 2000

"A new concept in the retailing of craft items is due to arrive in Wellington soon by way of a 1000-square-metre store at Porirua's North City Mega Centre.

The store, which will be run by CraftWorld New Zealand, will feature 500 craft booths offering items made by craftspeople from throughout New Zealand.

It will be one of four big stores to move into the MegaCentre in the next month or two. 

CraftWorld was started by CraftWorld New Zealand managing director Carl Dysthe and his wife, Marianne, and first opened in the Auckland area two years ago.

They set up 500 craft booths in 11 aisles at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Waitakere City.

The Porirua store will also have 500 booths, arranged in 10 aisles, offering almost anything that is hand-crafted. Typical examples are items associated with pottery, wood-turning, smocking, leadlighting, furniture and painting.

Mr Dysthe said the concept of craftspeople displaying their wares at a central point in a supermarket style was first started by two former IBM executives in Texas, United States, during the late 1980's.

Under the CraftWorld arrangement, craftspeople label their products with a price and inventory number and send them in, usually by courier, to be displayed at the Craftworld booths.

They also have the option of personally displaying their items.

CraftWorld's monthly rents range from NZ$60 for a 60-centimetre-wide booth to NZ$210 for a 2.1-metre-wide booth.

Should you wish for the complete article 'A Treasury of New Zealand Craft Resources Trust will send you a photocopy.