Homeware that is people- and planet-friendly is at the heart of the SpaZa Store, a proudly South African brand born in Cape Town.
It’s famous for its beautiful dish covers but it all started with the humble, hard-working lappie, albeit not a South African one.
Local eco-friendly homeware brand SpaZa Store, now selling its curated range in a stand-alone store in the Cape Town CBD as well as at its bustling V&A Waterfront shop, was created by Canadian-born Julia Schaffer 14 years ago when she was looking for a dishcloth like ones her grandmother used to make at home.
After searching high and low, she decided to have them made. Having worked in the South African fashion trade for decades, Schaffer knew that many women who were employed in clothing factories in the city worked long hours, often leaving home (and their families) at 05h00 and returning late.
So, she came up with an ingenious plan: using her grandmother’s original hand-written pattern, she would get her lappies, and the women would get the opportunity to work from home, creating home industries on the Cape Flats.
CREATING WORK FOR CREATIVES
This win-win situation has created employment for scores of Cape Town women while creating a unique range of authentic homeware that is not only proudly South African but sustainable, too.
Brand manager Tess Birch explains that the first kitchen dishcloths were made by a collective, Made in Manenberg. “Julia gave them her grandmother’s lappie pattern and they recreated it using South African naturally processed spun cotton.”
A brand was born, named after the ubiquitous South Africa spaza store, a home-based informal store in the townships, often operating out of private homes. “Most of the lappies are still made in Manenburg by the same ladies, even though some of them have moved on.”
Today, about 12 women knit – while another 12 sew – key items in the product range. “There is also a co-operative in Nyanga which does some sewing and packing for us, as well as screen printers who live in Lansdowne.
“This has been very gratifying, being able to provide home-based, flexible work for women (and a few men!) who are the backbone of their communities.”
PERFECT PRODUCTS
Today the humble lappie is still a popular item, but the stand-out best-seller in the highly functional, skilfully handcrafted and stylishly packaged range is the fabric dish cover.
Often featuring botanical illustrations in beautiful colour ways, there are 13 different shapes and sizes with the four-pack, which sells for R490, flying off the shelves (or from the online store).
The extensive homeware and gifting range also includes table décor, potholders, food storage covers, produce and bread bags, cutlery rolls, oven mitts and more. In fact, they have also just started making cushion covers.
WORLDWIDE COMMUNITY
Since its inception in 2012, the SpaZa Store has created a worldwide community. Its contemporary products with their authentic design aesthetic are very popular with locals and tourists.
Many of the designs in the range have become collector’s items, especially the Madiba range, which was inspired by Nelson Mandela’s famous shirt collection. “The two most popular ranges are the Protea Collection and the range that is based on Madiba’s famous shirts. The Madiba dish covers were launched in 2013 and they remain incredibly popular.”
A member of the Fair Trade Association, the SpaZa store prides itself on producing sustainable items. “We don’t use any plastic at all,” says Birch. What’s more, production of the entire range supports the local economy 100 percent. Data collected in 2025 shows that the Protea Set of 4 dish covers prevented an estimated 94.16 km of plastic wrap being introduced into the environment, with the Madiba Set of 4 dish covers coming a close second at 92.4 km.
“Our products last a long time, if not forever. Some of our clients have had their items for over a decade. We are proud of what we produce.”
In keeping with this philosophy, every item comes with a label that confirms the brand is “guided by environmental kindness and the upliftment of people”.
SpaZa Store | 71 Hout St | 021 461 6576 | @spazastore
www.spazastore.com (South Africa); www.spazahome.co.uk (UK); www.spaza-store.com (USA)
IMAGES: CCID, SpaZa Store