Carl and Marianne Dysthe set up the first CraftWorld in Auckland in December 1998. Based on an American concept, it has its own New Zealand flavour and reflects the very high standard of creativity and craftsmanship in this country.

This is how Carl and Marianne made it work:

They took a 1000sq m retail space, installed 500 booths in 11 aisles, narrow enough to encourage a one-way flow and to create an intimacy between the customer and the product. They charged a monthly rental for the space to craftspeople from all over the country, from Kerikeri to Invercargill, who displayed their work as they wanted to and priced it to their own satisfaction. A small sales fee was charged to cover point of sale and credit card costs. Then they designated some space for a seating area, a children's video room, provided complimentary tea and coffee, and targeted their publicity at local people, out of town visitors and overseas tourists.

It was so successful that there are now two locations.