A family affair
Most customers to Eketāhuna’s Maison arrive by car, but at least one farmer looking to make a romantic gesture pulled up in a tractor and leapt out to buy a Valentine’s Day card for his love.
“We’ll also get women coming in from the farm in their gumboots to buy morning tea from The Lazy Graze for their crew in the yard, and they’ll nip next door to try on clothes at Maison while they are waiting,” says owner Sarah Dandy.
It's all part and parcel of serving a rural community, but not only locals enjoy shopping at Maison. Sarah says some of her regulars make the 20-minute drive out from Masterton to shop and will have a leisurely lunch at the cafe next door.
“We get people passing through from Palmerston North and Hawkes Bay to Wellington. We love it when there are events like Toast Martinborough or Greytown’s Festival of Christmas, as everyone knows to call in here,” she says.
Sarah took over Maison 12 years ago, and the shop has since gathered a reputation for offering quality at more affordable prices. Here, you’ll find well-known labels such as Bianca Lorenne and Stella + Gemma in a treasure house of homeware and gifts, clothes and accessories. Finding the unexpected is all part of the fun.
“There should be something to suit everybody. We love being able to help women put together an outfit and see them leave looking happy and confident. We’ve had well-travelled people here, who’ve told us they’ve looked the world over for something – and found it here in Eketāhuna. Local people say, ‘why go to a big town when I can come here and you can dress me’,” says Sarah.
When the building next door came up for sale three years ago, she saw an opportunity to offer something extra. “We’d have women come out to the shop and there wasn’t anywhere for them to eat or have a coffee. We wanted them to feel like they’d had a good day out. So we bought the building and took over The Lazy Graze Cafe.”
Managed by daughter Hannah (who splits her time with working at Maison), the cafe offers good country fare, a warm welcome – and an absolute ripper of a logburner that must be much appreciated on chilly mornings. The Big Graze breakfast is legend, as is the baking; and speaking as a picky coffee drinker, my coffee was great too. We were there around morning cuppa time, and watched locals and travellers alike greeted by staff.
“We try to make it feel welcoming for both locals and people just passing through. They’ll come in and not know anyone, then a few minutes later, they’ll all be chatting to each other about the weather,” says Hannah.
For locals the cafe is a community hub: “We try to get business owners together here to meet over a coffee; local gym goers come up here on Saturday after a work out. We started The Old Boys group so retired farmers could come here and catch up over a coffee and a scone. We weren’t sure how it would go down but it’s been really popular. We are hoping to do the same for young mums,” says Hannah.
The Dandy family count themselves lucky being able to live in the friendly Eketāhuna community. “I like it that I see someone I know, just crossing the road,” says Hannah. Her own daughters help out in the cafe and the shop when they can. “My husband comes in and does the dishes sometimes, and my son Ben is the handyman,” says Sarah.
It’s truly a family business.
The Lazy Graze Cafe, 40 Main Street, Eketāhuna.
Maison, 32 Main Street, Eketāhuna.
