1905 Stafford St. Thompson’s General Drapers. Te Papa (C.014426)
T & J Thomson, est. 1883, sold clothing, fabrics, millinery and household goods from the Coronation Buildings in 1903. Hay’s Department Store bought the business in 1961. The property was bought by Farmers Trading Co in 1982. O’Meeghan’s Buildings opened next door in 1912, with shops, an auction mart and the upstairs Choral Hall for dances, concerts and public meetings. In 1915, the Grand Theatre cinema opened behind. It became the Regent in 1931. Phar Lap never raced in NZ, but his victories reached our screens. Cinema audiences all over the world watched films of the Timaru-born champion winning at raceways.
c1915. Stafford St. Alexander Turnbull Library (1/2-006892-G)