The mystery surrounding The Vault has been unlocked.

Young Ōamaru business owner Monique Lewis, who opened MK Beauty and Boutique 14 months ago on Harbour Street, is moving to a new premises, and is bringing some other small businesses along for the ride.

Monique had out-grown her space, and had been searching with no luck for about six months, before the former Ōamaru iSite building was suggested, on the corner of Lower Thames and Itchen streets.

She had no use for the whole building, so put together a proposal to lease the ground floor, and the rest has “kind of just evolved”, she says.

As well as Monique’s business, which includes a retail aspect, The Vault will also house a number of other female-owned businesses.

“We've got a couple different local brands who are coming in . . . and they can stock what they want to stock and see what does well.”

Ōamaru’s Abby Sangster and Sari Robins-Laughton will have retail spaces for their respective businesses Lover Lover and Candle Cup Co., along with Maniototo-based Lucy Girvan and her wool fashion label Eweburn Creek. 

Local brand Lover Lover will have its own retail space in The Vault. Photo: Lover Lover Facebook.

“Abby said she'd like to come in, and have her earrings here, and I was like, ‘it'd be quite cool to not be so much of a stockist, but actually give them a space’,” Monique says.

Then it was decided the space needed its own name.

“It was the old colonial bank and we've got this big beautiful vault here. So there was a bunch of names, but The Vault just kind of stuck. 

“So it's a bit of an experiment, The Vault, everyone keeps asking me what it is and I'm like, ‘I actually have no idea’. It's like a little bit of everything really,” she says. 

While the building offers room for MK Beauty and Boutique to grow, it also allows the other businesses to feel like they’re “not just coming into someone else’s store”, Monique says. “Which is quite cool.”

Abby says since her previous local stockist Design Federation closed about 18 months ago, she has mostly sold her products online, and she was excited to be part of The Vault.

“As a local brand designed and produced here in Ōamaru, we have a fabulous local following… we jumped at the chance, as we are asked weekly, ‘where can we buy Lover Lover in town’,” she says.

“The Vault will be a space where we will be trialling different styles, colour-ways and one-offs not yet available in our other stockists, so that’s exciting for our locals.”

Candle Cup Co. is something Sari describes as a “passion project” which she does on the side of her full-time photography business, as well as working weekends at Soul, Surf and Skate. 

She has been making the hand-poured beeswax candles for about a year and a half, and sells them through Brydone Wholefoods at Totara.

She likes using beeswax because it provides a “totally non-toxic, renewable burn”.

Sari is excited to be a part of the collaboration, which she describes as “such a cool space and idea”.

Candle Cup Co., another local company, will also be in The Vault. Photo: Candle Cup Co. Facebook

Monique says The Vault offers the smaller businesses the opportunity to have their own space, without taking sole responsibility of a lease.

“When you’re little, you don’t have that opportunity to go in somewhere… I feel like this gives them that.”

Another not-so-secret addition to The Vault will be an infrared sauna. Which will be in the actual vault, inside The Vault.

“So, that’s very exciting,” Monique says.

“You'll be able to book an appointment online, and just walk in and say, ‘I'm here for the sauna’, and you're just left alone, and it's so quiet in there.

“It's an hour where you have your own space and your own time.”

An infrared sauna doesn’t use steam, and can have health benefits such as improving skin, increasing circulation, aiding in wound healing, pain relief, and helping with chronic fatigue.

“Literally, you can't name them all because the list just goes on and on,” she says. 

There will also be an LED face mask available for people to use either instead of or at the same time as they sauna, for a lower cost than usual, because it won’t be part of a full facial treatment.

“We'll supply you with cleansers and the LED masks. So you can also go and sit in there and use that, which is quite nice.

“Not everyone can afford to come in for a facial, but you're still getting to use good quality products and get good results at a cheaper cost, because you get to do it yourself.”

The Vault is opening on August 4, which is a Sunday, from 3pm to 8pm. There will be drinks and nibbles and a “bunch of giveaways”, and the later opening time means people can choose whether they want to bring their children, or come once they’re in bed, Monique says.

Fitting the premises out has been a team effort - Monique’s partner Josh Bryant and friend Luke Heyman have been building all her joinery from scratch. Dave Galloway is in charge of plumbing and is “absolutely incredible”.

“And then I have an amazing dad. He’s an electrician, so he’s doing my electrical work.”

The process has been “awesome”, Monique says.

“I say I've been stressed, but I haven't really, because I've got such awesome people behind me. You think, 'holy crap, this isn't going to get done', and they go ‘don’t worry about it’.

"I'm okay. I can sleep at night.”  

The Vault will be open Monday to Friday 10am-5.30pm, and on Saturdays from 10am-2pm.