Lowvelder Entrepreneur of the Week: Charmaine Stoltz and Jacques Marais
This week's Lowvelder Entrepreneur of the Week is Charmaine Stoltz and Jacques Marais, the owners of Forever in Blue Jeans.
Charmaine Stoltz and Jacques Marais started their business, Forever in Blue Jeans, in July last year, when Stoltz fell in love with denim pants that had been transformed into pots for plants.
She originally contacted a woman that gave her some training and explained how the process worked. Stoltz and Marais have since been complimented by many clients for having the most beautiful pots of all those they had seen.
Marais will be retiring in two years, and the couple were looking for something to keep themselves busy. This also helps them with an extra income.
They use second-hand children’s denims they source from second-hand shops. The denims are then painted on the inside and outside. The legs are stuffed with bunched-up newspapers, and after the stuffing process, they are painted again.
The last step is to decorate them, and Stoltz likes to add unique details to every single denim. They save their profits for retirement. The couple would like to travel around the country one day. “Sometimes we spoil ourselves and eat at a restaurant, or we go dancing,” said Stoltz.
“We cannot ask too much for our products and make no sales, so our profit margin is very small,” she said. For this reason they rely heavily on sales from markets and direct orders from clients. “Getting positive feedback and happy clients motivates us to keep going.”
You can order your own plant denim or buy one as a gift for someone by sending Stoltz a message on 081 495 7274.
ALSO READ: Lowvelder Entrepreneur of the Week: Davina Hoffman
Calling all Lowveld entrepreneurs
If you are a local entrepreneur or know of someone who is send us an email with your contact details: ciska@lowvelder.co.za.
