Introducing: Jones Dept

A designer fashion outlet that opened recently in Silverdale Village is hoping to become part of a hub of creative, funky new businesses.

Damon and Heather Jones started Jones Dept in Silverdale Street when they saw a need for fashion houses such as TK, Sabatini, NYDJ, Macjays and Hailwood to sell their end of season lines or samples.

The store gives customers access to designer clothing, including jeans by NYDJ and Hailwood, Roc eyewear, accessories, home ware and Sabatini soft furnishings at reasonable prices but not everything makes it to the racks.
Damon says he is “picky” about what they sell, looking for high quality brands for women 20 and up who appreciate quality fashion.

The racks feature full ranges of fashion clothing including some sport and merino wear, plus accessories such as belts, scarfs, hats and jewellery.

Creating an enjoyable shopping experience is the other priority, and this is Heather’s speciality thanks to her background working in retail in the famously hospitable and service-orientated United States.

Jones Dept has been designed by Damon and Heather to have a modern, open plan and creative feel with furniture and changing rooms hand made by Damon.

“Outlet stores should have the same focus on the customers’ experience as any other kind of store, and be clean, modern spaces to browse in and enjoy,” Damon says.

Heather and Damon met when he was working in the States for his family business, which was a highly specialised producer of car wash equipment.

As part of a business that started with four staff and grew to employ 400 with distributors in 50 countries, Damon honed his marketing skills and went on to advise other businesses. He says it was while he was contracting to NZ fashion house Macjays that the idea for Jones Dept was born.

Damon is now seeking expressions of interest in the Village Depot – a collective business space for like-minded enterprises. The idea is to expand the space partly occupied by Jones Dept, by linking it with sliding doors and a glass frontage to the store next door.

Damon says Village Depot will bring together a range of boutique businesses – “the opposite of mass produced” – with a focus on creativity and exceptional customer service.

Damon and Heather hope that this may include a café offering wholesome, delicious food and drinks, and a shared space where shoppers’ partners and children can sit and wait in comfort.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback that this is an exciting new development for Silverdale Village,” Damon says.