16/03/2026
🏙 Profiles From the Heart of the CBD
In this edition, we’re highlighting a building that has quietly served the community for decades and is now entering an exciting new chapter as a creative hub for young people in Taranaki. Now home to the Academy Of Dance Taranaki , they have brought fresh life, music and movement back into the space.
🏛 Building: 207 Devon Street East
📅 Built: 1950s
👥 Current Tenant: Academy of Dance Taranaki
📖 Ekdahl Property History:
Constructed in the 1950s, this building has long been part of the local streetscape and has hosted a number of well-known businesses over the years.
Many locals will remember it as the home of Gilmore’s Auction House, where Ken Gilmore ran busy auction rooms that regularly drew crowds looking for everything from furniture to hidden treasures.
Later the building became The Taranaki Trading Post, a popular second-hand store that attracted bargain hunters and collectors from across the region. More recently, Vintage Industries operated from the site, showcasing a range of niche and interesting goods.
Around 15 years ago, Steve and Mike Ekdahl purchased the property. Like many buildings of its era, it has seen several different chapters, each reflecting the changing character of the neighbourhood.
Today, the building begins its next chapter as Academy of Dance, bringing new life and energy into the area. With families and young dancers regularly visiting the studio, the space once again plays an active role in the community and contributes to the growing vibrancy of this end of town.
Businesses like Academy of Dance help draw people into the neighbourhood and support other nearby spots, from local eateries through to newer additions like the 19th Hole.
Well done to Sonia and the team - we look forward to seeing Academy of Dance continue to grow and thrive.
🩰 Hear from Sonia at, Academy of Dance Taranaki!
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the Academy of Dance and how long you’ve been part of the New Plymouth community?
A: Academy of Dance Taranaki opened in New Plymouth in 2022, although the story began earlier when I founded Academy of Dance Hong Kong in 2007, which continues to run today under a wonderful team there.
Bringing AOD to Taranaki has been about creating a place where young people can grow not just as dancers, but as confident, capable individuals. In a relatively short time we’ve grown to more than 600 students across our New Plymouth and Hāwera studios.
One of the guiding ideas behind AOD is what we call “excellence without elitism.” We believe dance should be accessible to everyone. Whether a child dances once a week for enjoyment or is training at a high level, every student deserves quality teaching, encouragement, and a sense of belonging.
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Q: What attracted you to this building as the new home for the Academy?
A: The building had great bones - high ceilings, big open spaces and great flooring, strong structure, so much potential. But the biggest draw was its location.
We believe creative spaces belong right in the heart of the community, where families and young people bring energy and life into the city.
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Q: How have you transformed the space to suit the needs of dancers and students?
A: We’ve created multiple purpose-built dance studios with professional flooring, mirrors, and sound systems, while still respecting the character of the building.
Downstairs we’re also developing a broader creative arts space that will include art, music, and drama programmes. One area will be dedicated as a band and music rehearsal space, where young people can come together to create, practice, and perform their own music.
The goal is to give students opportunities to explore creativity in many different forms under one roof.
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Q: What does having a central CBD location mean for your students and families?
A: It brings creativity into everyday life.
It brings creativity into everyday life. Students arriving excited for classes and music playing in the venue creates a wonderful sense of energy in the CBD, and it reinforces that the arts are something valued and visible in our community.
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Q: What role do you see the Academy of Dance playing in the wider Taranaki community?
A: Dance and the arts help young people develop confidence, discipline, and creative thinking. At AOD we want to be a place where students feel supported to find their passion, whatever that may be, and carry those skills into the future.
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Q: What are you most excited about now that the new space is up and running?
A: The most exciting part is that this is just the beginning. While many people know us as a dance school, we’re gradually building a creative arts centre here in Taranaki.
Alongside dance we are expanding into Drama, Art, and Music programmes, including the band space where young musicians can collaborate and perform.
We’re really excited about creating a place where young people can explore movement, visual arts, theatre, and music all in one creative community.
So watch this space - there’s a lot more still to come.
