Raglan Surf Emporium

The origins of Raglan Surf Emporium

R aglan Surf Emporium, owned by JC and Mel, is situated down Volcom Lane next to Raglan Roast Coffee. It’s a one-stop shop for all your surfing and apparel needs. They stock a large selection of women’s and men’s clothing including swimwear, jandals, sunglasses and accessories. They have a great range of surfboards and wetsuits, and offer surfboard, body board and wetsuit rentals.

How did you end up in Raglan?
I grew up and started surfing at Lyall Bay in Wellington. I first came to Raglan in 1985 for a Moray wetsuit U18 surf contest. I fell in love with Raglan and the left-hand point breaks straight away and made a promise to myself that this is where I would live one day. I continued to come back to Raglan each year while living in Australia. On a family trip to Hawaii, we were in Haleiwa on the North Shore one day when I said to my wife that Raglan was our Haleiwa and we should move back to New Zealand, so in August of 2011 we moved home to spend more time with our two sons and to surf.

What were you doing prior to doing business in Raglan?
I moved to Australia in 1991 and was one of the founding members to have the licence for Volcom Australia/New Zealand. We started in the back of our house at Manly Beach, Sydney. The spare room was our office and we held all our stock in the cupboards in our bedrooms and in the hallway of the house. All team riders stayed in our lounge, with the likes of Bruce Irons and his brother Andy Irons, who didn’t ride for Volcom; Terje Haakonsen, Dustin Dollin, Ozzie Wright, Jay Quinn and Dean Morrison, to name a few. We had very little experience in running and marketing a clothing company but learnt as we grew and I made sure to surround myself with a strong team experienced in production, design, finance and sales. I became CEO of the company in 1999 and in 2010 we sold the business back to Volcom Inc USA.

How did the Raglan Surf Emporium originate?
Tony Bruce and I had been shareholders in Volcom and the Gag surf shop for a number of years. Once I moved to Raglan, TB sold me his share of the Gag surf shop business so he could concentrate on Raglan Roast. When we took over the store it had a lot of product and Volcom samples from our New Zealand reps as their office was above the Yot Club. So I came up with Raglan Surf Emporium as it was a shop that offers a wide variety of goods.

Your hoodies are super popular with tourists and locals, young and old. How did you come up with the design?
One of my artists for Volcom was Jamie Brown, so I had him design the RSE logo. I sent him a couple of photos of Indies and asked him to draw it in his style. I really like his style and I like how he added an orca – or is it a shark? – in the valley of our logo. The international creative director for Town and Country, artist Anaru Wilson, designed the shaka logo and we continue to work together on new art work for RSE.

What can we expect from Raglan Surf Emporium this summer?
Solid customer service with a smile from all our staff; the best product from all the brands we stock; and a detailed map on where to find the best coffee in Raglan – right next door.

Peter Hohenberger – The Glass Artist:

What fascinated me most in high school was art, particularly Art Noveau with all those intricate flowing, flowery, complicated designs.

When I migrated to New Zealand in 1996, after a professional career in software and high-tech IT in Europe, I set up “La Fleur bleue”, a glass studio dedicated to the art of L.C Tiffany. For many years I created beautiful lamps, mirrors and windows, reflecting the work of Mr Tiffany and introducing my own designs.

Ten years ago I watched a glass artist in Venice working at the torch, melting glass, creating three-dimensional objects, and I was hooked. Since then, I started HeartBeads, making handmade glass objects and jewellery completed with sterling silver. Everything is created in Raglan, New Zealand.

HeartBeads  – The Studio:

What I do

I concentrate on glass objects, beads and jewellery, created from my own work. My inspirations come from simply looking out of the window at Moonlight Bay – the colours of Aotearoa, the light and the ever- changing wonders of nature.

How I do it

My raw glass comes from Murano, an island near Venice, Italy. Working on a glass artist’s torch (running on LPG and oxygen) I melt this glass into different shapes and structures, giving colours with different transparent and opaque glass. Techniques like raking, swirling, dots help me to shape every single glass object into something totally unique. There will never be two the same.

Open studio – what you will see

You can watch me working “at the flame” – using the torch, melting glass, making beads. You can even try your luck and make your own bead! It might be easier than you think … (Conditions apply.) For more information go to:

www.HeartBeads.nz.

The HeartBeads Studio is located at 78D Greenslade Rd (ph 07 8250992)

Peter Hohenberger – The Glass Artist:

What fascinated me most in high school was art, particularly Art Noveau with all those intricate flowing, flowery, complicated designs.

When I migrated to New Zealand in 1996, after a professional career in software and high-tech IT in Europe, I set up “La Fleur bleue”, a glass studio dedicated to the art of L.C Tiffany. For many years I created beautiful lamps, mirrors and windows, reflecting the work of Mr Tiffany and introducing my own designs.

Ten years ago I watched a glass artist in Venice working at the torch, melting glass, creating three-dimensional objects, and I was hooked. Since then, I started HeartBeads, making handmade glass objects and jewellery completed with sterling silver. Everything is created in Raglan, New Zealand.

HeartBeads  – The Studio:

What I do

I concentrate on glass objects, beads and jewellery, created from my own work. My inspirations come from simply looking out of the window at Moonlight Bay – the colours of Aotearoa, the light and the ever- changing wonders of nature.

How I do it

My raw glass comes from Murano, an island near Venice, Italy. Working on a glass artist’s torch (running on LPG and oxygen) I melt this glass into different shapes and structures, giving colours with different transparent and opaque glass. Techniques like raking, swirling, dots help me to shape every single glass object into something totally unique. There will never be two the same.

Open studio – what you will see

You can watch me working “at the flame” – using the torch, melting glass, making beads. You can even try your luck and make your own bead! It might be easier than you think … (Conditions apply.) For more information go to:

www.HeartBeads.nz.

The HeartBeads Studio is located at 78D Greenslade Rd (ph 07 8250992)

Peter Hohenberger – The Glass Artist:

What fascinated me most in high school was art, particularly Art Noveau with all those intricate flowing, flowery, complicated designs.

When I migrated to New Zealand in 1996, after a professional career in software and high-tech IT in Europe, I set up “La Fleur bleue”, a glass studio dedicated to the art of L.C Tiffany. For many years I created beautiful lamps, mirrors and windows, reflecting the work of Mr Tiffany and introducing my own designs.

Ten years ago I watched a glass artist in Venice working at the torch, melting glass, creating three-dimensional objects, and I was hooked. Since then, I started HeartBeads, making handmade glass objects and jewellery completed with sterling silver. Everything is created in Raglan, New Zealand.

HeartBeads  – The Studio:

What I do

I concentrate on glass objects, beads and jewellery, created from my own work. My inspirations come from simply looking out of the window at Moonlight Bay – the colours of Aotearoa, the light and the ever- changing wonders of nature.

How I do it

My raw glass comes from Murano, an island near Venice, Italy. Working on a glass artist’s torch (running on LPG and oxygen) I melt this glass into different shapes and structures, giving colours with different transparent and opaque glass. Techniques like raking, swirling, dots help me to shape every single glass object into something totally unique. There will never be two the same.

Open studio – what you will see

You can watch me working “at the flame” – using the torch, melting glass, making beads. You can even try your luck and make your own bead! It might be easier than you think … (Conditions apply.) For more information go to:

www.HeartBeads.nz.

The HeartBeads Studio is located at 78D Greenslade Rd (ph 07 8250992)