My Account
The peace of mind of being on higher ground is just one of the many “pluses” that Finishing Touches owner Melisa Davies sees in her new store at 38 Matakana Valley Road.
Melisa was the first shop to open in the Matakana Cinema complex nine years ago.
She says the 2011 floods nearly wiped her out.
“Eighty per cent of our stock, including everything in our storage room, was ruined,” she says. “The insurance didn’t pay out because they said that we were in a known floodplain. It was devastating. Even now, when I hear heavy rain on the roof at night, I think, ‘Oh no, I hope the shop is safe’.”
While Melisa is retaining her original shop for the time being, she is excited with her new, spacious roadside showroom that affords her more opportunities to display her European inspired furniture and furnishings.
“We also have parking outside our door, which is fantastic.”
Melisa has more than 25 years interior design experience, first starting work for her parents, Colleen and Graham Davies, who owned curtaining and interior design businesses in Browns Bay and later Silverdale.
About half the stock in her stores has been manufactured to her own design and she imports from two of the world’s leading leather manufacturers, Artsome and Halo.
“Our stock is heirloom quality and my prices are very attractive because we import in container loads, so there is no middle man. I travel regularly overseas to keep up with the latest trends and visit manufacturers to ensure quality control, but what I design is still uniquely New Zealand.”
Melisa opened her first interior design store at Manly, on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, and still lives at Tindalls Bay.
“When I’m not in one of the stores or caring for my children and grandchildren, I love to jet ski.”
