Kiwi-Samoan rapper Poetik has opened a new retail and creative space in West Auckland that he hopes will become an oasis for creative people.
It's called Big Village, and it launched with a bang last Saturday with music, food and exclusive merchandise.
Poetik, who was recently named Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist at the annual Pacific Music Awards, told Jesse Mulligan the name reflects his cultural heritage.
Photo: Quin Tauetau
“Knowing a bit about my history on my, my Palagi side, we come from Ireland, from a village, before America and on my Samoan and indigenous side, we come from villages. So, it just came naturally. Just trying to get people together, you know, in one big community or village.”
He wants it to be a place where people can interact, he says.
“Besides a big smile, we have our merchandise of course, that's the main thing that we're pushing now, we're just starting with the merchandise and hopefully we can start bringing more things in from overseas and from other local artists and local brands, we can collaborate with them and create a special place where we can come together and vibe as creative people.”
He hopes younger people will be drawn to Big Village.
“I think it's more for the youth, for the next generation coming up, high school kids that are coming up, I want them to see how we're moving.
“We're getting into these business spaces, and we're trying new things. If one thing doesn't work, we try the next. I want them to be inspired with dreams, dreams and hard work.
“If you work hard at your dream and you plan and you follow it, you can make it in whatever avenue in life you want to.”
The launch last Saturday was a big hit, Poetik says.
“That was a great day, it was the opening, a lot of people came out, I saw a lot of people bring their kids. So, I like to think of it as a safe space.
“You can bring your family out here, you know, feel at home, feel comfortable, feel welcomed. Even if you don't come and buy anything, you just come and tell the story, just hang out, have a coffee or something.”
Although busy with his music career, he says he loves the challenge of taking on new projects such as Big Village.
“I'll be honest, man, I love the hustle. I love working hard for things. I feel like this was a level up from what we were doing. So yeah, we just went for it. And we were blessed to get it. And we're blessed to be here now. We've been very, very fortunate to have a lot of good people come out and support, not just with the shop, but over the years.”
Big Village is at 1852 Great North Road in Avondale, Auckland.
