#knowyourbenoni – The brains behind a popular Benoni landmark
If you know about Uncle Tim’s Centre on High Road, then let us tell you about Tim Jones who co-founded it.
BCT: Where did you live prior to being a Rynfield resident?
TJ: Growing up in Britain, I could never imagine making any sort of mark in the world.
Benoni has afforded me opportunities that would have been much more difficult to find in the UK.
I arrived in Benoni in 1979; we lived in a small flat at Cairngorm Tea Gardens in Petit.
We then moved to a beautiful old house in Moore Avenue in Benoni in 1981 and then to our home in Rynfield in 1984.
BCT: How was Uncle Tim’s Centre established?
TJ: When Benoni started the flea market in 1985 we were one of the first stall holders and enjoyed ourselves tremendously.
The stall was successful and gave us the confidence to start the first shop, “Now & Then”, in 1987 in the Benoni Plaza.
By 1988 we needed more space, particularly for furniture restoration, and opened a second shop in “the rondavel” on High Road in Brentwood Park, not far from the current Uncle Tim’s Centre.
In 1992 changing shopping patterns and a need for yet more space led to our purchase of number 40 High Road where we are today.
We restored and modified the rambling complex of buildings and established The Secret Garden Restaurant in 1995.
‘The Trellis’ building housed a further eight shops in 1996 and by 1997 we had converted the original farmhouse into ‘The Bundus’ with another seven shops.
‘The Gables’ with six shops followed in 2002.
BCT: What do you and Brian Graham (co-founder) do now?
TJ: The shop and the restaurant became a bit too much so we decided to sell the centre.
It is strange being a tenant on the property we have loved and developed, but we are confident that the new owners, Ben and Marietjie Pienaar, will continue to build on what we have founded – they have some exciting plans for the centre.
We will remain as tenants with just the antique shop for the foreseeable future.
Our first passion was always antiques so it seems appropriate that we are back to what we began trading in.
BCT: Do you have other plans?
TJ: We would like to spend some time in the beautiful city of Bath, UK, where Brian can do a course at a famous vegetarian cooking school and I can hopefully take part in an archaeological dig before my back gives in.
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