Goodbye and good luck Henrietta Park

After a long stint as a small business owner operating out of Gabriel’s Wharf, Henrietta Park will be leaving our arty little enclave. Henrietta will be greatly missed as she has been part of the creative community at Gabriel’s Wharf for over 21 years.

We wanted to honour her time as part of the Coin Street family by doing a short interview with her. Here’s what she had to say…

What’s your favourite memory of Gabriel’s Wharf?
I remember one Saturday when they opened the Millennium Bridge, the place was just alive with people, it was such fun! You were feeling really good about what you were doing because loads of people wanted to buy your things. I have lots of memories of lovely people chatting to me and appreciating handmade, different and colourful items.

What will you miss the most about Gabriel’s Wharf?
My friends! The camaraderie is lovely – we just have lovely people here!

What have you learnt in your 21 years here?
I’ve learnt that everything changes, nothing stays the same. So when you’re having a bad time, you know it’s going to change at some point! It’s not going to be terrible forever and it’s not going to be amazing forever, but you always hope that things will get better.

How has your business grown/changed since being here?
Well when I first came here, I couldn’t even knit! I came here making shoes but was learning to machine as I didn’t want to continue making shoes, I wanted to learn to knit. It just evolved – I started off making bags, very simple hats and scarves. I had a friend who was a seamstress so she started making garments out of my fabrics, which means the clothes are a lot more tailored than they would have been otherwise.

Do you have a departing statement for Coin Street?
It’s been the best 21 years of my life - take care of Gabriel’s Wharf because it’s a very special place!

Goodbye and good luck from everyone at Coin Street, Henrietta.