The ‘sole’ of the Midlands

Groundcover leads the way with its community upliftment philosophy, writes Trish Beaver

FOR years the Groundcover Leather Company has led the way with social entrepreneurship initiatives. All about “putting the best foot forward”, the community upliftment ethos of the Groundcover shoe shop has made them one of the most recognised institutions in the Kwazulu-natal Midlands.

Making shoes, bags, belts and boots is more than just a business for them; their business gains enable them to empower their staff and create jobs.

Founders Amanda and Justin Mccarthy came to the Midlands after working in Lesotho, where they established a leatherwork training centre.

Their aim was to teach the Basotho how to to earn a living with leatherwork.

They learnt a lot about community work and the pitfalls of handouts. But when they moved to the Midlands in 1990, they were determined to help uplift the local community.

In rural areas such as the Midlands, jobs are scarce and many become farm labourers. The Mccarthys needed to train locals in the art of leatherwork.

For them it was important to retain the staff they had trained, so they emphasised their staff’s education. Often you will see Amanda’s recognisable Land Rover roar into Howick doing the school run for workers’ children.

On the trip back you will see an excitable and noisy mangle of arms, legs and sports equipment.

Amanda is committed to giving them the best education she can afford. She encourages them to play sport and to do extramural activities.

The 14km trip to town enables them to attend good schools.

“Their parents must pay half of the school fees,” she said. “We subsidise the rest and I do the lifts into town because there is no bus service. We’ve had a number of children pass matric and get good jobs. That is what we want: to give them opportunities in life.”

Amanda is also a member of the Curry’s Post Educational Trust, a local initiative that helped establish and now manages and raises funds for two primary and two pre-primary schools in nearby communities.

If you visit Groundcover along the scenic Curry’s Post road out of Howick, you will find their charming shop, which is made from a 1900s corrugated iron house. The heritage building was moved to the property and rebuilt.

Complete with wooden floors, stained glass windows and brookie lace detail, it’s the perfect setting for a shoe shop.

The smell of leather is heady and inviting. At the back of the shop is an exquisite bronze statue of fairytale characters from The Elves and the Shoemaker.

The artwork was commissioned by the Mccarthys from local sculptor Peter Hall. Since starting their venture, the couple focused on supporting the locals.

They have been proud members of the local tourism body, the Midlands Meander, and supportive of community projects.

Tragically Justin Mccarthy died in a bicycle accident in 2010. He had been training for a cycle ride in the Himalayas.

Amanda has since been thrust into the full-time business of managing all aspects of the thriving shoe business.

Every year, the family and staff commemorate Justin’s death with a fun run to the site of his accident, where they have built a memorial. They plant fresh flowers and make sure his favourite Basotho hat is set jauntily on top.

Another initiative is for all staff to run or walk the Mandela Marathon. It’s a great teambuilding exercise and the staff train during their lunch hour.

While Justin’s death was a terrible blow to the family and the business, Amanda is not bitter about the accident. They have recently created a bicycle ablution facility for cyclists who like to ride along the scenic stretch of road.

Her employees are like an extended family and the business has a warm, supportive vibe.

“We need to make a profit, like any business, but we believe in working as a team,” says Amanda. “When an important decision has to be made, we ask our workers how it will affect them.

“In a factory, people get sick – we have had some TB and HIV cases and if they need time off to recover, we keep their jobs. This means our staff are loyal because they know they will be treated with compassion.”

One of their employees is deaf and dumb and another is an old man with Parkinson’s.

Sleeping upstairs on top of a box containing fluffy wool to be used for slippers is an adorable three-year-old, Siya Duma.

His mother, Thulisile, works in the shop. He became part of the general scene when Thulisile battled to find a reliable babysitter.

Now little Siya is part of the general happy chaos of buzzing sewing machines, dogs, kids and the friendly pig who roams around the property.

Amanda’s house is next to the factory and there is always a steady stream of employees, workers and kids wandering in and out.

Her cook, Maria, is always ready to make cake and biscuits for visitors – and birthday cakes are her speciality.

Groundcover manager Don Tully was hired to step in and help manage the factory after Justin died. His experience in the shoe industry has been vital to keeping the factory on an even keel.

Since the early days, the shoemaking process has changed and they have had to use more industrial methods to keep up with production. But every pair of shoes is assembled by hand.

One of their selling points is the after-sales service resoling and mending shoes. They also custom-make shoes for people who have specific requirements.