When Kamni Raju-Russell moved to Kāpiti in January, she wanted to join forces with other small business owners to get her brand out there.

But there weren’t really any collective business groups out there, so she had to start Babe the Label by herself.

Doing that was expensive, though, so now that she’s got her business set up, she wanted to create a collective store for other small business owners.

“The struggles of securing a commercial property are that it’s expensive and stressful.”

And that’s when Copperfield Collective was born within the walls of the Copperfield complex, Paraparaumu Beach, alongside the other women-owned businesses Babe the Label, Olivia Rose Bridal Boutique, Redemption, and a soon-to-be-open cafe.

Although Copperfield Collective is owned by Kamni, it is run almost entirely by the individual business owners who stock it.

Kamni’s only role in Copperfield Collective is relatively small and consists mainly of dealing with public liability, insurance, and general setup, but her own store is mere metres away.

Each business owner pays a small fee to stock their items on either a shelf or a floor display, and then they take rostered turns working in the store.

And there’s a variety of items being sold in the collective too, by all Kāpiti and Horowhenua business owners.

Edesanya Elements sells handmade body products, Glow & Co Lampshades NZ creates unique handmade lampshades, Salty Minx Swim and Activewear sells flattering swimwear and activewear, Plants & More sells 3D-printed plant pots and plants, Symply D’Liteful Gifts sells printed mugs, and both Kado and Articles of Exquisitry sell jewellery.

Kamni said the benefits were that the small business owners could continue working their regular day jobs or continue with other commitments, and they could also get their businesses out there.

“It’s just making sure that Kāpiti knows they exist.”

It’s also a lot more financially affordable to do business this way, and everyone gets to work with great people.

“You are working with a bunch of women who are highly creative and highly motivated.”

Kamni said sometimes she walked into the room and the women were sharing their networks, which is a great way for them to expand their businesses.

One of the small business owners is Nancy Picken, and before now she had never had any retail space.

She said she thought it was a cool opportunity to get her products out there, and she enjoys having people to talk to, and the chance for them to see her stock in person.

And she also loves the collaborative part of the business.

“There’s all these other cool women here and we all get to hang out together.”