KAT PICKFORD
The Arthur Devine Inspired Salons and Spas beauty salon in Picton has been listed for sale on Trade Me.
The business is owned by Arthur Devine, who operated a hair salon on High St in Blenheim until he was wrongfully evicted from the building by the landlord William Yates in August last year.
The salon was listed on Trade Me by seller rickfitty1, on April 2, as a luxury salon and day spa. It does not name the salon as Arthur Devine, but the photographs show it is the upmarket salon and spa located at 35 High St, in Picton.
The price, $35,000, includes the listed furniture and fittings such as leather styling chairs, ornate styling mirrors, solid teak chaise lounges, beauty beds, linen and towels, but does not include stock.
The buyer will take over the lease, which is coming up for renewal shortly for two further terms of three years each.
Mr Devine has not returned messages left with his Picton salon staff by Marlborough Express reporters.
The business appeared to be closed when the Express visited several times yesterday afternoon, although a sign on the locked door declared all staff were busy with appointments.
Mr Devine expanded his Blenheim business to Picton and began developing the salon in mid-2009.
In an affidavit he filed with the High Court in Blenheim during the disputed eviction, he stated it had cost $335,000 to outfit the Picton salon.
Initial estimates from contractors were $120,000 but the final costs ballooned to $335,000 and payment to some of the Picton contractors was not completed until September last year.
Meanwhile, a High Court hearing looms because Mr Yates has appealed the decision by Justice Alan MacKenzie in a High Court hearing last year.
Justice MacKenzie ordered Mr Yates to reinstate Mr Devine’s five-year lease for the Blenheim salon, and to return it to the pre-eviction condition, all at his own cost.
Mr Yates said yesterday he had tried to reinstate the salon but his efforts were hampered because Mr Devine did not give him all the fittings he needed.
After he has sorted out his differences with Mr Devine, he plans to lodge a complaint with the Law Society over the way his former lawyer Hardy Jones Clark handled the eviction.
He claims the lawyers did not tell him Mr Devine had paid his rent, and so evicted him.
Mr Yates said he has received “considerable interest” from people keen to lease the space in his High St building.
– The Marlborough Express
Sponsored links
Why is your newspaper so focused on Arthur Divine? There has now been at least 6 negative stories about this saga on either the front page or pages 1 – 3. I don’t think Arthur has commented at any time so it’s not him dragging this out. In my 40 years of living here I don’t think I have ever experienced such negative journalism about 1 small business. It’s like you want him to sink. There are other business’s relocating, opening and closing weekly. Where are those stories?
I hope that your newspaper with its photographers are lined up soon when he opens his new funky new Blenheim salon. And I hope you find it only fair to feature a positive news story about Arthur Divine on your front page!!