SPAZA STORE
Julia Schaffer
STARTUP COSTS: ‘Every day you sell something, you take that money and put it back into the business. You make a few more things, then sell – it’s called “bootstrapping”. We didn’t have any startup costs – we just put everything we earned back into the business and struggled!’
TURNOVER: ‘It started off with just me; I made all the products. Now we have about 14 people doing knitting and crocheting, six people working in the sewing department, four in the office and two sales ladies.
Spaza Store owner Julia Schaffer drew inspiration from her own daily needs to create an authentic range of eco-friendly household items. Guided by her desire to reduce single-use plastic and to make a difference in struggling communities, she designed a range of fabric dish and bowl covers, zero-waste shopping bags, and kitchen and home items.
When did Spaza Store first start trading?
I started out in 2012. I studied Fashion Design and worked in the clothing industry for years. I had an accessory business that supplied chain stores. Then I had kids and I wanted to spend more time with them at home. So I started to make things, and that’s how Spaza Store started.
How did you choose the name of your business?
I wanted an authentic South African name for the business. At the time I was working from my garage and a neighbour quipped that
I was running a spaza, so I thought ‘that’s it!’.
What was the vision for Spaza Store?
I’m originally from Canada, but I’ve been living in South Africa since 1994. I travelled here and fell in love with the country. When I visited my mom in Canada I saw the cloths she was using in the kitchen (which my grandmother used to make) and thought, ‘This is what I need; I don’t like the cloths I have.’
When I returned to SA I started a job creation project, making household items that weren’t available on the market. The first one was the kitchen cloth, which is now sold as our Kitchen Lappie. Then I added more household items that I thought would be handy to have.
Your products aren’t produced in a factory. So where are they made?
Having come from the clothing industry and having worked in factories, I didn’t necessarily want to go back into that environment. I started looking for products that could be made by women working from home so that people didn’t have to travel in by public transport at 6am every morning to work in a factory. That was part of how I designed the business.
We have women knitting and crocheting from their own homes in areas like Manenberg and Mitchell’s Plain. We have a business leader, so they deliver all their knitting and crocheting work to her. All the sewing is done in one home by women from the community.
How long did it take to move into a retail space?
I worked from home for about two years. During that time, I’d take my product to markets and events like Design Indaba. Then we moved into the Watershed market at the V&A Waterfront, and it changed everything – suddenly we had consistency. There were two great things about it: constant cash flow and selling retail – which meant we could get the retail mark-up for our products. It allowed us to grow, reinvest and give the ladies consistent work.
What kind of material do you use for Spaza products?
All the materials are biodegradable and natural fibre products, and South African as far as possible. Looking at the state of the world right now, if you can’t get something locally, you can’t get it at all. That’s why I push to keep it local and, of course, eco-friendly. There shouldn’t be a reason why we can’t incorporate sustainable items into our daily lives.
What does it take to run a successful business?
It’s important to develop your brand properly, and to do that you must thoroughly develop your product. It’s all about finding the best ways to make things, sourcing the best places to buy raw materials and figuring out what works best. I’ve had many challenges, mostly involving what’s happening behind the scenes: getting export registration, keeping up with admin, and making sure you’re paying income tax and UIF. That part is hard work. Because it’s so complex, you end up hiring people to help you do it and that can be expensive.
What has been your greatest reward?
Being able to make a difference in people’s lives. Just seeing the knitters and the producers prosper has been wonderful. The feedback I get from customers is also amazing; it makes me feel encouraged and reminds me that all the hard work is paying off.
You recently moved back to Canada. What does your workday look like now?
I get up and answer emails and check in with the office. We’re working remotely now, just like everyone else, so we do a lot of WhatsApp calls, check-ins and meetings.
Do you have big future plans?
We’re looking forward to opening our new store, which will be launching after lockdown – and we have lots of products in development. We’re also rethinking some of our business strategies like more online activity, but we’re still going to be around and producing more products.
Website: spazastore.com Instagram: @spazastore