Q: Over the years, did you have a favourite customer?
A: Oh, we had a number of them. I wont embarrass them!

Q: Do any in particular stand out?
A: One who really sticks in my memory was Pam Weir. She was actually one of our first staff members, but before that she came in practically hysterical with excitement. She’d been watching the store get set up and couldn’t wait for opening day. She wanted to be the very first person to come in—and she was! She ended up working for us.

Q: Do you remember your very first customer?
A: Not really… I wish we had written that kind of thing down. We never made a big memorabilia wall or anything. That’s one regret—we didn’t record those little milestones.
The best memorabilia wall I’ve ever seen was at the Victoria Café in Christchurch. They had taken over two shops and covered the walls with photos of film stars and visitors. Sadly, the building got damaged and they weren’t allowed to retrieve anything. I was devastated by that.

Q: What was it like being part of the Royal Oak business community?
A: Oh, we loved it. One of our favourite places was the chemist, run by a lovely man who became a bit of an institution himself. He was probably the only one around as long as we were.

Q: Do you remember his name?
A: I think he’s gone now. He might have worked a bit after retiring, but I’m not sure anymore.

Q: What about the hot food at Ollies—was it similar to today’s menu?
A: Yes, it’s always been similar. Burgers, hot dogs… that kind of thing. Over the years we’ve made small adjustments, and some items came and went.
We used to do nachos – who knows maybe we should bring it back?

Q: What’s the weirdest thing you ever sold at Ollies?
A: Cigarettes. And our first robbery was for cigarettes. Back then they were cheap, but still worth stealing. I think some staff stole them too. We even smoked in the shop ourselves—don’t say that, though!

Q: Any idea how many high school students have worked at Ollie’s over the years?
A: Definitely in the thousands. We had so, so many! So many great kids have passed through the shop.

Q: What did working at Ollies mean for those students?
A: We always saw it as something really important. So many came in shy and unsure, never having worked before. They’d never even wiped a table or cleaned a toilet! Colin would patiently teach them everything—how to cut a bun, clean properly, you name it.
By the time they left, they were confident and capable. It gave them real-life skills.

Q: Do you know what some of them went on to do?
A: Quite a few became actors, teachers—some ended up on television. Doctors, lawyers, nurses, entrepreneurs – you name it!  Lots of great people came through.