About Lili
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” Marilyn Monroe
This quote sums up my passion for unique handmade products and through this, I would love to introduce Lili & Co and myself, Elizabeth, to our new online friends. The Lili & Co story started in 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa. I tried my hand at ceramics and created a range of hand-built ceramic homeware items, complemented with some quirky and unique gift ideas to sell at gift markets. The need for a workshop with storage space developed into the first Lili & Co Décor and Lifestyle shop. Keeping with the philosophy of stocking only items that tell a story and have personal meaning, I nurtured a group of dedicated suppliers, who became friends first and then business partners through the years. Making the lifestyle choice of moving to New Zealand did not extinguish my desire to be creative and bring people with creative talents together. The village of Greytown presented me with an opportunity to keep the Lili & Co brand alive and offer beautiful chances for creative cross-pollination between South Africa and New Zealand. And so, Lili & Co Home and Lifestyle store opened in November 2020 on Main Street. The store offers a carefully sourced range of handmade products mainly from South Africa. This includes exquisite, printed tablecloths, table runners, cushions, placemats, cosmetic bags; beautiful hand-stitched leather shoes; organic and vegan handmade soap; unique ceramics; natural bath and beauty products and hand-cut porcelain jewellery and diffuser sticks - to name just a few. Additionally, the range of locally NZ-made products is growing all the time. We’re excited to meet you and welcome you to Greytown and our lovely shop, located at 86a Main Street. The one certainty is that the shop will keep on surprising you and we're looking forward to doing just that!