Mt Eden is noted for its cafes, specialty shops, and a blend of the bourgeois with the artists. Mt Eden Village (the shopping centre) has three artist organisations: Eden Arts, Artists in Mt Eden, and Young Artists Awards.
So here is a glimpse of some of the shops, cafes, etc in this place.
From Wikipedia
"Mt Eden is now a "leafy suburb" of predominantly large houses from the first half of the 20th century. The gardens are verdant and the trees have grown large. On the eastern slopes of Mt Eden were constructed several large country houses set in palatial grounds. These included "Harewood House" (now the site of the Mater Hospital), Justice Gillies "Rocklands Hall" (now a hostel), Alfred Buckland's "Highwic" (now a museum), the Hellaby family's "Florence Court", and Josiah Clifton Firth's "Clifton House" (both still private residences). Close by the current Government House (residence of the Governor General) is Eden Gardens, a botanical garden set up in a disused quarry.
In the 1950s and 1960s the inner suburbs became unfashionable and the old houses of the Mt Eden area were comparatively cheap to buy. Mt Eden developed a slightly bohemian image during this time as a community of artists, writers, teachers and university lecturers made it their home. Mt Eden village is still regarded by many as the "Home Of Arts" in Auckland, due to the large amount of creative activity in and around the suburb and the large number of artists who live nearby."
But now: (www.mounteden.co.nz/shop/the-village/press-releases/)
"Mt Edenites are almost exclusively white (70-80 per cent, depending on which part of Mt Eden) or Asian (16-18 per cent), well-educated (over 50 per cent have a post-school qualification, compared to 41 per cent in Auckland as a whole), and wealthy. Young professionals without children dominate the north of the suburb, where houses are smaller and there are lots of flats. In the central and southern parts, there are more families with kids.
“Grammar zone” are the two magic words when you are talking about property prices in Mt Eden. A four-bedroom villa might cost you $1.2 million or more if it comes with automatic entry to Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls Grammar schools. Two streets further over, and out of zone, an identical house might cost $800,000."
So it has this sub-culture of artsy people mingling with those that can afford to pay for their art -- a good synergy!
And of course, our cute shop:
More info at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt_Eden and www.mounteden.co.nz/shop/arts/.
