Special K

WHY KARANGAHAPE ROAD MAKES THE PERFECT HOME

It’s 2pm and across the road, a man with shoulder-length dark hair is silently dancing to the music that’s pumping through oversized white headphones. Or at least I assume there’s music. A few metres up the pavement, a transgender journalist is casually reclined in a fold-out chair watching the world go by. A gaggle of adolescent girls in same-same-but-different outfits scoots by, in search of “alternative” op shop finds.

This is Karangahape Road and all of life is here. A walk home from work involves at least four stops outside shop frontages, nose drawn to the glass by an uncredited installation, an exotic menu or a unique piece of vintage memorabilia. There’s nothing cookie cutter about this neck of the Auckland woods and that’s why it’s the perfect place for an agency that’s determined to be distinctive.

While others might find inspiration in high-end furniture stores or exclusive car showrooms, we prefer more eclectic stimulation. Sometimes we like to take our coffee in a roastery warehouse; others a tattoo parlour or an organic deli. We might opt to spend $200 on a new ‘fit, or maybe $20. K Road is a place that’s never going to box us in. If you live by the mantra that when it comes to creativity, diversity in = diversity out, this street is the perfect place to call home.

So to all you fancy pants agencies out there – you can keep your glossy locales.
And we’re more than happy to keep ours.