We believe in home.
Through the years.
Storey Collection is a locally owned and operated lighting, furniture and homeware store in the heart of Nelson, New Zealand. We are a local family owned business that has been serving the Nelson region for over 50 years.
Originally we were known locally as Brewerton Electrical, then more recently Lighthouse Nelson. The next chapter of our story is ‘Storey Collection’ to reflect our expansion into furniture and homeware that complements our long standing lighting heritage.
Storey Collection is now owned and managed by Jenny Knight, who is the eldest daughter of founders Lester & Joice Brewerton.
Casting new light on an old flame.
Three generations of one Nelson family have spent an incredible few years building another storey onto the business, which began half a century ago as Brewerton Electrical.
(Article from Nelson Magazine - May 2021)
A small wooden house on a busy Nelson street contains layers of history. This legacy, and a new direction, have helped form the title for the next chapter in the story of a long-running family electrical and lighting business.
In recent years, the specialist lighting store has been known as Lighthouse Nelson, but a move to push its furniture and home décor elements, plus the arrival of a new generation in the business, has led to a name change – Storey Collection.
The little bungalow in Collingwood Street, which once had a stable out the back, is now the branding on the company’s new logo. It was once the home of the Brewerton family; whose electrical appliance business began within its four walls. It was an offshoot of the electrical contracting business started by Lester Brewerton, at a time when electricity was first installed in rural homes around the region.
Daughter Jenny Knight says having electricity in homes for the first time meant people then needed electric ranges, so the Brewertons started a showroom in the little house – a showroom of electric ovens. “Then they moved into washing machines and freezers, and also started to sell glass shades and from there it went to lighting.”
Jenny grew up in the house and learned the retail skills from her parents. It began at an early age, she says. “I actually sold a kettle when I was three or four years old. Legend has it that I came through to the shop – mum was busy, and someone came in and I asked if they would like to buy a toaster or a kettle. “They didn’t need one but thought it was so cute, they bought one.” From there, Jenny spent time after-school and in the holidays dusting, re-arranging and working in the shop with her mother Joice Brewerton.
Jenny and her husband Dennis Knight bought the business in 2015 and changed the name to Storey Collection, but with a residual link to the Lighthouse name. “The Lighthouse group still exists. We held the name, but we are now moving towards our own branding. “We are pushing out the Lighthouse connection which the public has known us as for 15 years, and we are pushing the Storey Collection brand.”
Jenny and Dennis’ daughter Serena Harris is now adding her own touches to the business as the in-house lighting design consultant. “I was nearing the end of high school when mum and dad took over the business. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left school, so I worked for mum full time for a year and then discovered I liked interior design.”
Serena then studied interior design at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, which triggered her interest in lighting design – an element of home design she says is like a magic trick. “After I did interior design, I did two years’ study at Massey University on lighting and earned my Graduate Certificate.” She says it is a fun, creative career which blends her love of art and science – and she gets to work with her mum. “We work well together as a team. It’s very cool being able to work together.”
Serena says lighting has evolved to become far more technical, from the way it works to the effects it gives to a home. “Lighting has changed so much over the years. You used to put a lightbulb in the middle of the room, meaning the light was behind you when working at the kitchen sink.
Jenny says years ago, not a lot of emphasis was placed on the functionality of lighting. “In the lounge there was only one light and it was either on or off. Now with lighting, we create layers. Using layers from a variety of sources to get the most flexibility for creating different moods in the same room. “It can make the difference between a stark room and something that is lovely and welcoming.”
Serena says they are keen to develop links with architectural firms. The aim is to promote the element good lighting has in home design. Jenny says people might spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their furnishings without thinking about ways to emphasise their interior with lighting.
“You wouldn’t go and buy something from the House of Dior and then grab jewellery from a Christmas cracker and expect it to look fantastic. However, that’s what we find people are doing. Often when they’re building, they don’t budget for lighting.”
Serena says another aspect many do not consider is the hours of each day they spend at home, often in dimming light at the day’s end. “Many of us are in full time jobs and aren’t home during the day, meaning you only ever see your home at night. During the day it looks beautiful with all that natural sunlight. In the evening you need good lighting to illuminate and bring out the colours and textures too.”
Jenny says they can source a lot of products architects like to use, from bespoke hand-crafted fittings made in Vermont to copper and brass fittings made by artists in Italy, along with thousands of products from highly decorative to contemporary lighting that suits many different styles. They include the Hampton beach style, or the clean-lined Scandinavian housing designs, that fit well with the New Zealand lifestyles.
Jenny says it is also encouraging to see the re-emergence of hand-crafted products from New Zealand artists and tradespeople. “When we started, we had hand blown glass from Hokitika, and North Island made fittings, but imports began, and New Zealand manufacturers could not compete. Now we’re starting to see a re-emergence of New Zealand crafted product. We have the locally made Switch downlights and I had someone come in the other day who is now making beautiful wooden pendant lights. We love supporting local producers of lighting.”
Jenny and Serena say customers are guaranteed trusted knowledge when they visit the store; the little house on Collingwood Street illuminated by decades of family stories.