Situated on eastern side of George Street, near the Hanover Street intersection, the Plume Clothes Shop was built in 1909 as a shop for bootmaker’s Lawry and Restieaux with accommodation above. It forms part of a precinct of early buildings of similar size and height along Dunedin’s main shopping area. The building is of architectural and historical significance with its distinctive leadlight and stained-glass frontage built when the firm Adams Bruce opened in the building (forerunner of the bakery firm Ernest Adams).

Both iwi history and archaeological evidence show Māori occupation in the Ōtākou / Otago region since the 12th century. Today, Kāi Tahu mana whenua is recognised over a large part of Te Wai Pounamu. Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha shared occupation are always acknowledged. The hapū Kai Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka still maintain their presence and responsibility as kaitiaki in this region. While there were no permanent settlements around George Street, the area near the Toitū Tauraka waka (List No. 9774) was known as Ōtepoti.

The site’s original legal description was section 1, Block XXIII, Bell Ward. The section was owned by William Heenan, settler, who leased out the house and property from 1857. The Heenan family are listed as owners of section 1 until at least 1920s and it was leased to the bootmakers Lawry and Restieaux from 1909.

The Plume Clothes Shop building itself was built in 1909 by G. Lawrence (1850-1932) and designed by architect James Clarke (1865-1913). Built for Lawry and Restieaux, this firm only operated from their new building for two years. Two other bootmakers operated out of the building from 1911 until 1929 when Adams Bruce Ltd., pastrycooks (later Ernest Adams) took over the lease. The firm Lawry and Restieaux, bootmakers began at the turn of the century. By 1908 they had outgrown their George Street premises and secured a 21-year lease on the property at 310 George Street and built the shop with accommodation above. The Evening Star described the building as ‘two storeys, the lower being the shop, and the upper a five roomed house and a suite of rooms specially designed for the rooms of a professional man.

Although this building signified the success of the bootmaking firm within two years the lease was transferred to Thomas Hilliker, for Hilliker and Co, bootmakers, who operated out of the building until 1924. James Collier, took over the premises in August 1924 and renamed the building ‘Rugby House’. Collier ran the shoe store here until 1929 when, along with a closing down sale, all the interiors were sold of the shop.

In 1929 a new business moved in, owned by Adams Bruce, who made extensive alterations to the shop front and shop in 1929 with the distinctive grand entrance of glass with a new verandah and some shop alterations. The alterations were the work of architect Eric Miller (1896-1948) of Miller and White. The Queen Anne emblem from the Adams Bruce Ltd brand of chocolates can be seen in the glass on the shop’s façade (see Figure 8) . The name ‘Adams Bruce’ and later ‘Ernest Adams’ which once appeared between the bands of red glass across the top of the window have been replace with clear glass.

The shop interiors were further altered in 1961 for Ernest Adams. The business Plume has operated out of the building since 1979. Plume has been the heart of Dunedin high fashion and has supported the local designers of the area. Since 1986 Plume has also been the home of NOM*d, the shop’s famous in-house brand. In 1994, alterations to the premises were undertaken which included a new staircase.