How did Smoove first come about?

When I was a baby, my parents started doing the weekend market on K’ Road selling vintage pieces. From there, we got our first store on Little High Street. Smoove then moved around the city; we were in Ponsonby for a while, then K’ Road became ‘the’ road again, and so that’s where it is now, along with our Paihia and Eltham stores. It’s come full circle.

We also lived in Thailand for around eight months to live island life and Dad (Mat Lark) met with wholesalers to grow it in that sense. It really grew into a mix of vintage, sourced retro things, and his own designs.

My Dad’s really good at knowing up-and-coming trends. He’s ahead of what people are going to be into. Other retail shops have seasons and they’re planning a year ahead, so it’s hard to know what’s going to work down the track. But Dad can see what’s trending and gets on it right away, which is our point of difference. He has a unique eye and is a trend-setter rather than follower.

What can people find at Smoove?

We cater to the whole family, from young teens to parents and grandparents. We don’t really have one type or demographic of customer. Our niche is anyone who loves to give pre-loved fashion a second life.

Some pieces are brand new vintage that still have tags on them. Some are second-hand vintage, some are retro style, and there are new designs.

You’ll find band tees, hip-hop t-shirts and sweaters, vintage Polo and Tommy Hilfiger, reworked vintage dresses and blouses, 60s rock and roll skirts, denim and baggy jeans, Hawaiian party shirts, sports tops, leather jackets, a range of accessories, and a cool selection of cowboy boots.

Compared to our other stores, the Mount gets our more luxury pieces of the best quality, and more new vintage and labels. Whereas Auckland caters to more edgy, artsy city-goers.

What’s been the reaction to Smoove so far?

If I had a dollar for every time someone has said ‘this is exactly what the Mount needs’… OR people come in and say ‘oh, this is very different.’ It’s been so well received by the community. It’s something a bit different.

Why did you decide to get into the family business?

We were starting our own family, and we wanted something flexible and I’ve always loved fashion and clothes. For me, retail is second nature. I grew up in the shop and started working there when I was 13. I went on to manage the surf shop Sitka in Ponsonby, and worked at Lululemon as one of their key leaders in Britomart, Tigerlily in Australia for a while… I’ve done a lot of retail and it’s what I know. 

Then I went on the super yachts for years as a yoga teacher on private boats and that’s where I met Bryce, who was a Bosun. 

Why choose the Mount?

We wanted the beach lifestyle for our daughter, Zanthe, and Bryce is from Cornwall, on the south coast of the UK and is a big surfer. So when we were in Auckland, he just felt like a fish out of water. I took him to all the best places when I was trying to convince him to move to New Zealand, and this was his favourite place out of everywhere that we went.

What do you love about the Mount?

I love the energy of the Mount. There’s a buzz here. 

You’ll always find me at Mount Made next door for coffee. To eat, I love Rice Rice Baby’s pho beef noodle soup and the sweet and spicy lemongrass tofu, and Blondie’s roast chicken sandwich and chimichurri steak sandwich. And Soul Boul for acai bowls. You’ll find Bryce is always just surfing.

Smoove

266 Maunganui Road

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Hours

Mon to Sat 10am – 5pm 

Sunday 10am – 4pm