Dancing to the slow music of life

Writer & Photographer: Elaine Davie.

ANDANTE is the name of a new shop in the The Yard on Harbour Road, Kleinmond. ‘In moderately slow tempo’ is how the Oxford Dictionary defines this musical term – which could probably describe life in Kleinmond in general. And certainly as you step through the front door of the shop, nostalgia for an unpretentious, more leisurely lifestyle is what strikes you immediately – liberally spiced with iconic items of startling ‘Boere’ kitsch.

Helma’s assistant, Felicia April, beside a stand of Pamphiri Indaba gift bags which Felicia makes.

The owner of this quirky emporium, Helma Potgieter is no stranger to the residents or regular visitors to Kleinmond. Referred to as a force to be reckoned with, her previous project was the busy little shop called ANEW, also in The Yard and also filled with interesting retro items, including clothes, many sourced from her own family. She sold the shop in mid-2017. But after a period, which included three months, then six months in the UK, as well as a serious health scare, she thought: “Okay, so I’ve been there, done that, so what’s next?”

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