Africa-Press – Namibia. WHEN talent runs in the family, it is difficult to suppress as it is passed from one generation to the next and might grow into big business.
Twins Boutique, which is situated at the Bokamoso Entrepreneurial Centre near Hakahana Service Station in Katutura is a perfect example of a family success story.
Shop manager Merline Petrus said in an interview recently the boutique was founded 12 years ago by her mother Penehapo “Penny” Petrus, who has a passion for sewing and made curtains, bed sheets and traditional dresses.
“She learnt how to sew from her own mother (my granny) and I have also learnt the trade from her,” she said at the shop that is full from the roof to the floor with finished pieces of clothing on display.
Petrus said their main line of business is traditional attire, mainly Oshiwambo dresses, suits and wedding dresses for the bride and groom, as well as the bridal teams.
“We make any traditional attire or bridal attire a client might request. They can bring their own material and we only charge them for labour or we provide the material and make the attire for them,” she said, adding that they market their products on social media, particularly Facebook and also through referrals.
Petrus said they also make uniforms mainly for Mandume and Bethold Himumuine primary schools at competitive prices, but parents are also free to source them from other suppliers.
“We start in November-December targeting the opening of schools in January.” She said Twins Boutique has two other branches besides the Bokamoso shop, which is the main branch.
“Here we employ eight people, including a designer and myself. We have a branch at Single Quarters in Windhoek, which has two employees and another at Oshikango in northern Namibia, which also has two employees.
“Those two are mainly service branches that do minor jobs like alterations and send major jobs to Bokamoso, which has the capacity to handle them,” she said, adding that they train most of their employees themselves.
Petrus said the biggest challenge they face is the growing competition from people producing cheaper poor quality clothes, as clients complaining about the prices until they realise that they are getting quality for their money.
“A traditional dress costs N$400 upwards, depending on the design.”
Petrus said the Covid-19 pandemic had made it difficult for the boutique to survive as they had to balance between survival, retaining all their workers and ensuring the continuity of the business.
“During the lockdown, orders for wedding attire dropped or were cancelled altogether, as only 50 people were allowed at these functions and there were no bridal teams. During normal times, the wedding season would run from April and orders would start coming in from March.
“In addition, schools were closed during the 2020 lockdown, so we had little or no orders for uniforms. When they reopened, orders started trickling in but competition was tough as parents did not bother to buy uniforms.”
She said Covid had also deprived them of a chance to market themselves internationally at expos and fairs because of travel bans and now they have to be content with marketing inside the country.
She also complained of the high rent charged by the Windhoek municipality for the shops at the centre, saying it had contributed to many entrepreneurs closing shop because they could not afford the rent in the face of reduced business.
Petrus advised aspiring business people to be ready to take risks, as profits do not come automatically. “They must look at customers’ demands before making something, otherwise they would not get buyers for the clothing items as buyers always keep pace with fashion trends,” said Petrus.
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