It's time for a change

After 14 wonderful bricks and mortar years its now time for a change

My grandfather opened the original Saks Corner a general dealer located in Pienaarsrivier a small town north of Pretoria.

On the property there were 2 basic thatch rondavels,one served as a shop and the other was where my grandparents Harry and Grace lived. Because the shop roof leaked much of the stock would have to move into the house during the frequent summer thunderstorms.

A couple of years later when the opportunity arose and much to Graces relief, Harry moved the shop to Parkmore Sandton and many years later it became that magical part of my childhood.    

A dimly lit cool space which smelt of paraffin and bicycle tires, jars of colorful sweets temptingly displayed on a distressed wooden counter top and the low deep humming of a coke fridge below.

Over the past 14 years my own Saks Corner shop has been my quirky home From the original shop in Salt River with its tiny workshop in the back room, a bell attached to a long string that ran to the front door to alert me to the sparsely spaced occasional shopper. Starting up was both a marvelous and a challenging time.

Once I accidentally locked myself out the shop and stood outside with customers gawking through the window. All the time commiserating and agreeing with them on the the owners stupidity for making it so difficult for customers to come inside.

These are the things I will miss the most, interacting with all my visitors over the past years. Watching families start and grow, relationships begin and end, and renovations endlessly endless never ending.

By the end of January 2021 with some sadness and apprehension I will be closing the Woodstock Exchange showroom, a change necessitated by change. My wonderful wood workshop now housed in a former biker bar in Kensington, will become my creative home. We will still continue to make what I love, beautiful, functional well made furniture without waste.

For now my showroom will move online ,please bare with me while I build it . Just picture a long cyber string attached to a bytes bell which leads to a busy workshop. I hope these newsletters, social media and the occasional personal delivery will in some small part replace the interactions which I will surely miss.

Regards Dan