Auckland’s Little & Friday owner trespassed from premises, owing rent
Tuesday, 4 March 2025
A celebrated Auckland baker says her 20-year business has been sunk by tough trading conditions and a firm-handed landlord.
Kim Evans of Little & Friday has had to close the doors of her Takapuna business and said her Ponsonby premises may soon follow.
“It’s just got to a point where it’s drowning me, pulling my whole business down,” she said.
A bill posted on the window reads: “take notice that Make Takapuna Great Again LP has taken possession of these premises as you have no right to occupy.”
“Notwithstanding the above, the owner reserves all rights and remedies whatsoever against you … you are warned to stay off these premises.”
The notice threatens Evans with three months’ imprisonment and a $1000 fine should she return to collect her possessions.
Evans told The Post “it was a bit mean” but she understood it was “just business”.
Landlord Elliot Knight said Evans was nearly a year behind in rent and the trespass notice would “fast track” getting the premises back on the market.
“It’s a requirement under the lease … so I could get the keys back straight away and get it leased.”
According to Knight, Evans owed about $55,000. He said he had “tried to work with her”, encouraging her to go to market and have the lease re-assigned to a new operator.
“I’ve waited for a year, effectively bankrolling her while she’s been trading.
“She’s a great baker, but operationally she just has issues.”
Evans said she knew she had been in trouble for some time, but when she tried to end the lease a year ago, Knight wouldn’t budge.
“He’s just a businessman and he’s got to look after his assets.”
“I wasn’t on a good solid financial position to open in Takapuna and I still did it … I can only blame myself, really.”
And, trading in the hospitality business has been tough. Ingredient suppliers have been putting up prices, while customers are spending less, she said.
“A lot of [hospo owners] are re-mortgaging their homes.
“I’m 62 years old and I’m not prepared to do that ‒ I’m too old to start borrowing big amounts of money to keep it going.”
However, Knight said his costs have gone up too with interest rates on bank loans tripling, and he believed he’d been more than fair, having shifted her to a smaller, more affordable premises and paying for the fit out.
“I can tell you if I don’t pay the bank, I’m in the hot seat pretty quickly.
“[But], no matter what I say, people will still think I’m the nasty landlord.”
Knight’s property investment business owns several premises in Takapuna and he remains ”bullish” about the town centre. The new Takapuna surf club opens next week and Knight has a resource consent for an ‘eat street’ laneway on Hurstmere Road, opening up restaurants to Anzac Square.
Meanwhile, Evans said depending on the outcome of negotiations with her landlord, she may also have to close her iconic Ponsonby site.
She’s already had to sack her staff, and is working seven days a week, starting at 4am to make bread, pickles and chutneys from scratch.
“That’s what I’ve been doing to save the business because the turnover has dropped so much in this last period, it’s not sustainable any more.”
“I’m done. I’m toast … it’s kind of surreal.”