| High Country Store on the Market |
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By Mick Jensen - The Staveley Store is on the market. Owners Krissie and Chance Sullivan, now in their eighth year at the iconic store, are ready to move on to new pastures. “We originally bought the store because we loved the site and wanted to live in the house,” says Krissie. The couple have completed a long and expensive restoration project of the three-bedroom property. They’ve insulated, re-wired and given a new lease of life to the place. Original rimu floors have been sanded back and modern features added to the house, which was built in 1937. The café and store is ticking along very nicely these days as well. With little café experience between them, the Sullivans decided to give running the store a go. “I once worked in the Arthurs Pass store, which was again part of a small and friendly community like Staveley. “But, we decided that if the locals didn’t take to us then we cut our losses and close the store,” said Krissie. The locals have taken to them. They’ve supported it appreciated its existence. The Sullivans have also been backed by the community minded locals during times of deep snow and power outages. Regulars keenly meet for coffee mornings, drop in for a sausage roll or tasty egg and bacon pie. Some even have their own coffee cups behind the counter. The store is a part and parcel of Staveley life and a central point for the close-knit community. Decent coffee and ice creams also draw in the passing tourists and tramper brigade. “I could write a book on the number of stories I’ve heard over the years. I’m certainly going to miss the community interaction and friendly locals,” says Krissie Sullivan. She plans to eventually return to the outdoor lifestyle that she loves so much. A correspondence course in landscape architecture through the Southern Institute of Technology is on the cards for her. The couple hopes to move towards Lincoln if the sale of their “little baby” goes through. The store sale has already drawn interest. “The locals are interested in the store as a business, but the store comes with 1 100 per cent restored house as well,” said Mrs Sullivan, with a smile. The store and property are up for sale as a going concern. There is an acre of land, 90 square metres of café space and an attractive outdoor seating area as well. There was still room for new owners to put their mark on the store, said Mrs Sullivan The store is on the market for offers over $499,000. 
Krissie and Chance Sullivan are selling the Staveley Store.
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