Clink in St Kevin’s Arcade

NOTE: We’re no longer in St Kevin’s Arcade. Get in touch through instagram or our website 🙂

K Road is perhaps the most famous street in Auckland – ask anyone, and they’re bound to know what you’re on about. A place of diversity and creativity, the history of Karangahape Road is as fascinating as its present.

Since November of last year, Clink has been lucky enough to set up shop in St. Kevin’s Arcade, joining the vintage-lovers on Karangahape Road. From silver rings to crystal pendants, we have an array of beautiful, handmade jewellery on display in the store. And we couldn’t be happier or more at home sharing the space with Stalgic Society, a vintage shop boasting some of the freshest vintage garms around. 

K Road: A trip down memory lane

Karangahape Road is an area renowned for its vintage shopping opportunities and the abundance of creative individuals that wander its streets. But it wasn’t always this way. At Clink, we feel pretty special being part of a space that has such a varied and colourful history. Here’s a little glimpse into the past of K Road and St. Kevin’s Arcade, and how the area became the dynamic hub that it is today. 

St. Kevin’s Arcade was built in 1924, and extended in 1926. New Zealand’s economy was thriving during this period, and K Road was Auckland’s premier shopping destination; the equivalent of London’s Oxford Street. Flagship department stores dotted the ridgeline, and St. Kevin’s Arcade was home to the best of Auckland’s tailors and dressmakers, tearooms and photography studios.

With the building of the inner-city motorway in the 60s and 70s, K Road and the surrounding area somewhat lost their appeal, and there was a big exodus from the centre of town. Small businesses closed and larger ones moved to the newly opened suburban malls. This marked the beginning of K Road’s new – colourful and creative – chapter. 

Today, inner-city living is making a comeback and K Road is one of the most vibrant areas in Auckland. It’s home to musicians, artists, the LGBTQ community and creatives of every shape and size. And being part of the colourful and diverse community of K Road is exactly where Clink belongs! 

New beginnings with Stalgic Society

We were overjoyed when Sarah from Stalgic Society gave us the opportunity to set up shop in her wonderful store in St. Kevin’s Arcade. Once we launched our in-store collection, we soon realised Clink and Stalgic Society completely vibe off and compliment each other. Our humble cabinets have gone from strength to strength amid Stalgic’s vintage gems and we’ve seen steady streams of people coming through the doors to browse our creations and learn how they can incorporate unique healing jewels into their lives.

Part of the reason vintage clothing is so great – and growing in importance – is that it is the most ethical way to shop for clothes. With the increasing urgency of climate change and the problems incurred through widespread fast-fashion practices, reusing and recycling clothes is becoming the only feasible – and climate conscious – way to shop. 

At Clink, we also try to do our part as a sustainable, environmentally-friendly business; sourcing all of our crystals from ethical buyers and locations, and creating jewellery pieces designed to be long-lasting and enduring.

If you’re ever in the K road area, be sure to come in and say hello – we love meeting new people and sharing the full Clink experience and mentality with our customers. 

Until then, you can find us on Instagram and Facebook, or learn about our custom jewellery and the powers of our crystals on our website.