Stories

The Skin Spa is an urban oasis located on Alexandra Street in central Kirikiriroa, Hamilton. This quiet sanctuary is for people seeking a journey of relaxation and beauty – an exceptional spa experience to treat the mind, body and spirit.

For over 20 years, Skin Spa owner Kim Frandi has built a career that seamlessly blends artistry with business savvy.  But the journey hasn’t always been smooth.

From early beginnings in Tauranga and Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland, to becoming a business owner and weathering the storm of multiple lockdowns, Kim’s story is one of resilience, creativity and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

For Kim, beauty isn’t just about looking good. It is about helping people feel better about themselves.

Her journey began in the early 2000s when she faced a choice for where to study beauty therapy. It was either an expensive school in Tamaki Makaurau or in Tauranga for a more balanced lifestyle. Choosing Tauranga allowed Kim to work part-time in a café while studying, providing her with a more manageable lifestyle at a slower pace.

She later moved to Auckland for further studies in electrolysis, along with mentorship from industry professionals. This set the foundation for a career that would eventually lead to business ownership in the late 2000s.

With a passion for beauty and a mind for business, Kim was prepared for the challenges of business ownership and the ever-evolving nature of the beauty industry.

For almost ten years, Kim continued to operate The Skin Spa out of the 2nd floor of the Alexandra Street building. When Kim shifted The Skin Spa into a street-front space in 2019, she was determined to create more than just a place of work. It had to be a space that resonated with her personality and creative spirit. Based on her experience in cafés and bars, Kim created a versatile area that offered a balance of openness and privacy, with both a welcoming reception area and quiet, intimate treatment rooms.

‍

One of the most prominent buildings fronting Garden Place is set for a revamp with Hamilton City Council to replace the ageing and damaged facade of the Hamilton Central Library.

The current facade of the 1970s building is at the end of its life, with years of water damage in difficult-to-access areas ruling out ‘quick fixes’ as an option, council said in a statement.

The six-month project will start in August and Rebecca Whitehead, Council’s Unit Director Community Services, said while the replacement is underway, the library will remain open and safe to use.

‍

The old Housing Corp building at 500 Victoria St - between Bryce St and the Claudelands bridge - is getting revamped inside and out under owner Primeproperty Group.

But the Wellington-headquartered company isn’t stopping there. It’s also set to spend $1m-plus on a second seven-storey project further up the street: the Norris Ward McKinnon (NWM) office building.

Primeproperty bought 500 Victoria St in 2016 for $8.1 million.

Project manager Richard Tait was positive about being able to get tenants in the current climate.

“We wouldn’t be doing it otherwise.”

They were targetting government clients or any “reasonable tenant”.

And, he added: “Potential tenants are telling us they want to be in Hamilton because that’s where the business is for them and there’s a large population.”

‍

It was the year 2000, on an overcast morning in May, when Vanessa Herbert (nee Nieper) launched her first fashion label and clothing store in Hamilton.

Now, 25 years, a rebrand and a change of hands later, NES is still going strong and preparing for a new chapter.

Herbert said she always had a passion for fashion, sewing her own clothes and sketching designs while working as a travel agent at Flight Centre in Auckland, but she didn’t think that she could turn it into a career.

‍

When Charoenvach Suntronchatchavach and his partner took over Dora’s Café in 2023, it wasn’t just a new business venture - it was the continuation of a deeply rooted family tradition in hospitality.

For nearly a decade, the couple worked alongside Suntronchatchavach’s parents at the Jasmine Thai restaurants in Ōtorohanga and Taumarunui.

“It was six days a week, 10am to 9pm,” he recalls. “It was a bit too much for 10 years.”

Seeking a new pace and a fresh opportunity, the pair found themselves drawn to Hamilton’s city vibe - specifically, the little café his partner Pathitta Raksadee had grown fond of while studying at Wintec.

‍

Every Sunday for the past 25 years, a mother and her son have walked into Scotts Epicurean and ordered the same dish.

It started with a one-week-old in a capsule, tucked beside her table. Now, that baby is almost 25, and their Sunday ritual continues - a weekly pilgrimage for a plate of aglio olio.

“Just yesterday, a customer sent me a photo of her with her one week old son in a capsule over there, and the son's coming up 25 now, and they still come in every Sunday,” says current owner Donna Ferguson.

The enduring love for aglio olio - the simple yet unforgettable combination of spaghetti tossed with garlic, chilli, parsley, olive oil, and parmesan - has become something of a legend in Hamilton.

‍

A new wellness hub in the Hamilton CBD will soon have pilates, yoga, ice baths, meditation and massage all in one place.

O-Studio, at 18 London Street is under construction and will be run by ex-Black Sticks hockey player Brooke Hayde and her husband Cam .

The studio, in a building being developed by Stark Property, has a target opening date of June.

‍

Visionary Hamilton developer Matt Stark is putting more skin in the game and taking the city to new heights with a $100m-plus investment in the Federated Farmers block.

It’s the latest Stark Properties development, and Stark says the “well over $100 million” project is part of their investment in making Hamilton a “great place to live and work”.

The Waikato Farmer Trust announced the sale of its property portfolio to Stark Property on Tuesday.

The significant 12,094m² landholding includes the six-storey Farmer Trust building, existing tenanted buildings, car-parks and vacant land.

‍

A recent deal between Tainui and a big US investor shows how Hamilton and its surrounds are on an economic roll say business and political leaders.

And others from outside the region are also knocking on the door, says the mayor.

Tainui Group Holdings’ agreement with major international asset manager Brookfield Asset Management is set to provide $1 billion-plus benefits for developing the Ruakura Superhub in a major boost for Hamilton, the Waikato and the wider country.

‍

As vacancy across the CBD rises, a new kind of workplace is taking shape - softer, more flexible, and built around how people actually want to work.

Over the second half of 2024, office vacancy in Hamilton’s CBD rose from 7.2% to 9.0%.

While the numbers point to contraction - with occupied space falling by 9,300m2 in just six months - they also reflect a transformation in how and where people want to work.

‍

Hot shot Hamilton property developer Matt Stark has scooped up the old Fed Farmers building in London Street.

Stark Property has bought all of the Waikato Farmer Trust’s property assets for sale on the site, a sizeable chunk on the west end of London Street opposite Seddon Park.

The Trust announced on Tuesday that they’ve sold their commercial properties which included parking lots, commercial properties and the 6-storey office building on London Street to Stark Property.

‍

The revelation comes from Sanjil Mistry and Pienaar Piso, who own the city’s current tallest building, the Mistry Centre in Ward St which towers over Centre Place.

It’s currently being transformed into a 191-bed Pullman hotel operation with beds over 12 floors, with several floors of office and retail space as well. Hotel opening is scheduled by the end of next year.

The revelation is the latest in what is rapidly becoming a hotel boom for the city.

Mistry’s and Piso’s comments on them looking at a second hotel came on Thursday in an interview arranged long before the announcement the same day that Auckland’s Templeton Group had gone unconditional on a deal with the city council.

Passersby on Hamilton’s Victoria Street got the first look at another section of the Regional Theatre’s new façade after scaffolding was removed on Wednesday.

The appearance of a fresh section of the restored plaster façade of the old hotel frontage is another visible milestone for locals and visitors in the ongoing construction of the 1300-seat theatre that promises to revolutionise entertainment in the city.

The decision to preserve the building’s neoclassical façade is getting the tick from people seeing it for the first time, who say it blends old and new.

‍