She went on growing and growing…

Writer: Hedda Mittner.

These well-known words from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland could easily apply to the Hermanus Factory Shop, which has been a landmark in town for almost 40 years. Started in 1983 by a Swiss called Jorg Friedrich, the original premises comprised one room on the first floor of the historical ‘Balcony Building’ in Main Road, reached by a narrow staircase.

Enter Fransien Koegelenberg, born and bred in Ceres, who had just moved to Hermanus after completing her studies in clothing production at the Tygerberg Technical College, where she’d also picked up her future husband, Hermanus native, Johan Koegelberg. “I’d always loved fabrics and sewing, and I used to shop at the Factory Shop,” recalls Fransien. “I was actually looking to start my own business when Jorg offered me a job in 1992.”

Fransien Koegelenberg has been the owner of the legendary Factory Shop in Hermanus for almost three decades. PHOTOS: Taylum Meyer

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