Ōtautahi / Christchurch Daily Photo

So when the going gets tough some of us resort to recreational shopping! I’m not a spend thrift, but I do love going into stores with lots of gorgeous things and going oh and ah. And this Redcurrent shop in the Spotlight Plaza (in Sydenham) certainly falls into the gorgeous things category. I am careful to buy things that won’t break, but which will brighten up the house a little bit (a bit of bling to make me smile). The store has only recently moved into the Spotlight Plaza, and the word on the street is that this Sydenham mall is about to get a whole new lease of life thanks to a bunch of fashion and lifestyle shops moving in due to losing their shops in the earthquake. This is one of the more interesting side effects of the quake – all sorts of retailers are popping up all over the city – and no doubt they will invigorate their new locales. If you love hand made stationery (and made in New Zealand as well) I highly recommend you go to Redcurrent and look at the beautiful notepaper they have in all sorts of lovely designs. I also bought a decorative vintage sytle cardboard clock which is now adding a bit of colour to our kitchen. Another popular place to shop in the Spotlight Plaza is the plastics shop which is having a closing down sale – seems everyone is keen on owning plastic now rather than investing in glass items just yet (one really does get tired of sweeping up the glass). Retail therapy (for those who like to shop) is not only a great way to lower the blood pressure but you are also stimulating the local economy! Ok, so that’s my excuse. Small indulgences are the way to go though 🙂