Jazz club still standing amid challenges
Local businessman remains positive his pub will be his family's legacy
Alfred Woodington, the owner of Junction Jazz, a pub in Leeuwpoort Street, has continuously steered his business of 20 years in the right direction, amid many challenges.
The pub, which has been in existence since 1999, has attracted patrons from far and wide over the past 20 years.
Woodington said he named his pub after inspiration from jazz artist Hugh Masekela, who owned a jazz club in Johannesburg.
He said his pub is famously known and loved by many for the richness of jazz music being played there.
“Starting the business from scratch brought excitement of knowing I am my own boss and the realisation that I managed to achieve my goal. My business continued to boom until 2007 when the country experienced economic challenges. Customers were few because people didn’t have money to spend and those that came spoke of having been retrenched,” said Woodington.
He also highlighted the issue of the CBD having many taverns also affecting his business because there was a decline in upmarket customers.
Though the social decay in the CBD continued to affect the business, things did stabilise, until recently when he was again severely affected by the lockdown.
“The six months of losses crippled the business, but I told myself I won’t give up now. The fact that my business is still standing I regard as success,” Woodington said.
Woodington said the reason he’s still running his business is that he wants to leave a legacy for his family.
Over the years, he has provided jobs for five people at his business.
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