Blog 19 Our Situation and Survival

We don’t like writing these sorts of things, but as we describe the situation we’re in you’ll come to understand why we have to.

For months now the Wellington Central Library has been undergoing earthquake strengthening. In and of itself this is a good thing, Wellington needs a good library.

However we’re located directly across from the library. In fact our front door is directly across from the main vehicle gate, a blue, iron barred thing that provides a wonderful view of the work being done, the amazing efforts therein, and absolutely no protection from any of it.

Noise, dust, dirt, fumes, glare from arc welders, all being thrown in through our door, open or closed.

Ever since the library closed we’d been impacted by lower foot traffic, when the strengthening work began we started to see a further downturn, still, we were surviving.

However in the last month we have been hammered. Literally. Jackhammers, heavy vehicles, and for all that the council said they would communicate it wasn’t until we started going to the media that we found out that this was the start of a demolition phase.

We went from survival to a 80% downturn on normal trade.

And now on top of that the Civic Administration Building is going to be demolished, closing Wakefield Street for four months. Next door to that is the ongoing, never ending City Hall work.

Why?

No one wanted to come in and stay around. People looking for games would come in and leave quickly because they didn’t enjoy being in a store rolling around like it was in an earthquake and smothered in diesel fumes.

We could not blame them in the slightest.

Our own staff were being impacted by this as well, in the past few weeks several have been sent home with headaches, nausea and anxiety from having to work with this going on. Several have been nearly blinded by the unshielded arc welding going on less than 50 meters away from us.

The only way we’re going to survive as a business is to relocate somewhere else in the Wellington CBD. For this reason we have a Givealittle page.

Where is the council? What are they doing to mitigate the impact? What sort of support is there?

Nothing. They are under the impression that they can do whatever they want and damn the residents and businesses in the immediate area.

What support they have offered has been management training, social media training and signage indicating where we are and that we’re still open.

Think about that for a moment. Aside from the inherently insulting training offers the council thinks the best option for us as a business is to encourage the public to enter an area where their ears are assaulted, their lungs agitated and their sense of wellbeing assailed as much as their physical health.

That’s just irresponsible.

So we’re going to try and move.

To be honest it isn’t even about remaining viable as a business.

We’re not the only ones impacted by this work. Everyone in the area is. TradeAid, JB Hi-Fi, The Village Goldsmith, cafes, restaurants, hotels, charities, lawyers, accountants and other retail stores such as ourselves.

All being told to encourage the public into the area.

Made all the more challenging because with the Wellington Central Library, Civic Administration Building and Town Hall all being worked on the end result is that Civic Square is being closed off on two sides.

That’s a central hub for protests, gatherings, a generally nice space in and of itself accessible on, if we’re really honest, one and a half sides, functionally going nowhere, leading to nothing.

So this is a wider issue than just what’s happening to us, this is a problem endemic to Wellington.

Look around Wellington and you see works everywhere. More than anyone can reasonably be expected to keep up with, disrupting traffic, vehicle and foot, and consequently the activities all around them.

Much of it, we are being told, is to make Wellington a better, more inviting city, beautifying the area.

All the while pipes leak everywhere, footpaths are dug up, major road arteries are constrained from two lanes in each direction to more or less one if you watch where you’re going.

Plans are to pedestrianise the Golden Mile. What Golden Mile? How many empty shops are there along the Golden Mile? How long has the Reading Complex been an ugly blot in the middle of what’s supposed to be the main nightlife hub?

And even if everything is beautified, you walk the Golden Mile, after all that work and effort if there is nothing to do in this wonderful new area?

Does the unique character of Wellington matter so little?

This isn’t even a simple matter of protecting existing businesses. Future business owners and operators are going to look at how the Wellington City Council has treated it’s own residents and citizens with utter disregard and realise that the same could happen to them at any moment and factor that into any decision to open in the Wellington CBD.

What good is a beautiful city if there’s nothing to do there and no one lives there?

This utter irresponsibility and abandonment of basic care and duty by the council is disgusting.

It’s horrible to realise this and to feel this way.

It isn’t us.

We are Caffeinated Dragon.

We are a small business, a games store, a place to enjoy coffee, and good company. A safe space for all peoples.

For all the challenges and troubles, the level of public support has been heartening and energising, and we will return that faith and trust.

We are determined to stay open and operating within Wellington. We may fail. We may have to go elsewhere, we may be forced to close down. It won’t be for lack of trying.

If we go down then we will do so with absolutely no dignity, no silence, no decorum. We will be kicking, thrashing, screaming, crying, on fire and laughing the whole way because we believe in Wellington and it’s people, and you are worth the effort.

We are Caffeinated Dragon. We are here for you.