New owners relaunch a revamped Topaz

Martin and Nicky van Es, together with their daughter, Charné Sampson, became the new owners of Topaz recently.

Barberton Times spoke to Nicky last week about what this new ownership will offer Barbertonians as well as to discover more about the new faces behind the business.

Nicky, who is a born-and-bred Barbertonian, left the town when she was 21, but decided to return a decade ago as she has a “deep passion for the valley” as she fondly puts it. The couple has been married for 20 years, and with the addition of Topaz, a long-standing dream came true, especially for Nicky.

“I always wanted a dance club,” she says.“I remember my folks used to have open parties at the Castle-and-Jerusalemkop in the sixties, and I was dancing before I could walk. Martin and Charné also love dancing and seeing that Topaz is the only venue in Barberton, buying it made perfect sense.”

They are no strangers to this business as they used to own the club New Orleans in Rivonia Boulevard in the late nineties, just before their move back to Barberton.

Nicky’s dad, Bruno Austin, has six siblings, and Nicky, has nine.

“With such a huge family we have help in many forms and Barberton is home to us all. Most months since we have been back, we have held a party at our house and sometimes up to 156 people attended, and this was also one of the reasons we decided to buy Topaz. Why not make a living out of it?” she asks.

As far as changes go, they are definitely working on it. Their restaurant was launched over the weekend and will be open for breakfast from 07:30. A delectable lunch menu, which also forms part of the new changes, with lunch specials in addition to happy hours every other day, are some of the new offerings patrons can look forward to. Late diners will be happy to know that dinner will be served until 22:00 and that a safe play area for kids is in the pipeline. “We are definitely considering purchasing a couple of gambling machines as well for added entertainment.”

Something new and exciting is the flea market on certain Saturdays and Sundays to be launched soon.

The family has a huge passion for the welfare of animals, and they are at present negotiating with Pro-Life in Mbombela for Topaz to become a collection point for pet food donations.

On Saturday, September 20 an fund-raising event will be held to get the stray cats in the area spayed through the local SPCA, as well as to collect funds in aid of this organisation. There will be a jamming session in the afternoon. People are invited to bring their own musical instrument and get a R30 discount at the gate. Fever Dogs will entertain fans until late.

Of the normal gate fee, which is R80, 10 per cent will be donated to the SPCA, over and above the funds for the spaying of the cats. Many spot prizes will also be up for grabs during the night.

“Free time? What’s that? Nicky responds when asked what the family like to do in their spare time.

“Martin is a diagnostic technician and loves restoring cars, bikes, quads and anything with engines. I adore pigs and have a free-range pig farm with about 200 pigs. Charné loves singing, dancing, music, movies and has a precious toddler who keeps her busy.”

The owners are adamant that the venue will cater for all age groups. “There is very little to do in Barberton and hopefully we will fill the gap so that locals don’t have to travel over the mountain to find decent entertainment.”

With the current improvements being made to the outside bar, the club will also be able to cater for more private events, and with the new menu, introduction of a loyalty club, ladies nights, karaoke nights and many other activities, the owners are certain that the all-new Topaz will prove not only to be a big improvement but also a huge success.

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