Coco Gifts Owner Liz Van Montfort Celebrates Ten Years On Rutland Street

It’s been a challenging decade for shops on Rutland Street in St Albans but one owner says she wouldn’t be anywhere else.

Next month Liz van Montfort is celebrating ten years at her store, Coco Gifts, and says the connection with locals, both other businesses and customers has really strengthened in recent years.

“A few of us are what you might call ‘originals’,” she says. “Meshino café is always humming and has been here since 2003. Rutland Street has become a destination for locals and visitor, alike.”

One of the biggest challenges has been the Papanui Parallel cycleway which was started in 2021 and saw income for the shops on Rutland Street drop significantly.

“I want to focus on moving forward but there is no doubt the cycleway and the removed carparking continues to affect our customers,” says Liz. “Fortunately, we have loyal customers, and a number come to Rutland Street for a coffee, lunch, to buy gifts, visit the hair salon and partake in a number of other fantastic offerings,” she says.

Liz describes Coco Gifts as a “one stop shop” for any type of gift people might be looking for, and says although people buy a lot online these days, she often hears how much customers like seeing and feeling what they are buying in a ‘bricks and mortar’ store.

“A woman came in last week and said she has just been scammed out of $100 online, buying from what looked like a legitimate New Zealand website but it wasn’t. She received two items in the post that were of terrible quality, and it was going to cost her what she paid for the items, to return them,” says Liz.

Coco Gifts has become well-known for marvellous window displays, particularly at Christmas.

“We’re not quite Ballantynes but we certainly match them for quality, beautiful lights and creativity,” says Liz.

With Mother’s Day on Sunday May 11, Coco Gifts is having a sale next week giving customers the opportunity to get something for that special mum, early.

“New babies, birthdays, engagements, weddings – we have something for everyone,” she says.