On Wednesday, 23 August 2017 Amanda de Vos, in partnership with her business partner, Debbie Redelinghuys will be hosting an extra special Vintage, With Love collection day at their popular Tea Under The Trees venue in Paarl.
Guests are asked to bring along items of clothing, shoes or accessories for men, women or children, or even just a donation for this very worthy cause.
The Vintage, With Love concept was dreamed up by Leigh Ord and Jacquie Myburgh Chemaly, “two savvy, fashion-forward women” who incorporate fashion and charity into one fun event, a vintage fashion sale. It has never been easier to donate to charity. Vintage, with Love is a platform for women everywhere to be a part of a project to raise money for reputed literacy programmes – by simply clearing out their wardrobes. They appeal for gently worn, previously loved clothing, bags and shoes to be donated and then resold at regular events in Cape Town and Johannesburg and the next one is scheduled at 15 On Orange on the weekend of 1 – 3 September 2017. All the proceeds from the sales will benefit the following charities:-
• Partners with Possibility;
• Chic Mamas Do Care;
• Shine Literacy;
• Kidz2Kidz; and
• Uphawu Community Development
Tea Under The Trees
Debbie and Amanda met through their children who were in the same year at Bridge House School and Tea Under The Trees is Debbie’s brainchild.
Debbie started Tea Under The Trees on their family farm, St Pieters Roche on Paarl Main Road. Over the years, the ‘Engelse vrou’ converted the old paddocks into a lush garden and a few years ago, she decided to open it to the public as a tea garden. “When we used to travel to the UK we’d go into places for cream tea and I thought ‘I can do that’. I like doing presentations and girly things and when my eldest children were in matric, I thought I’d see if it would work. At the time, Paarl didn’t have anything similar for tea, so I thought I’d try. It started on a whim and as something to keep me busy. I put a few tables out and wasn’t expecting much from it.”
Debbie’s ‘whim’ has grown into one of Paarl’s most popular venues. In addition to the restaurant, there is a little bric-a-brac corner which Debbie says, “goes with our philosophy of recycling, reusing and repurposing, which ties in with Vintage, With Love. We live in Africa where there are so many people who need so much and being a drop off station for Vintage, With Love is just a small way of helping and showing people – like our clients – what you can do with great granny’s goodies that are in the attic. They don’t have to be dumped and can go towards a worthy cause.”
The other half of the dynamic duo is our own Amanda de Vos, who joined in 2012. The little operation has expanded to the point where they now have a fully fledged chef and baking kitchen with ‘lots of inspired ladies’ and they also do the bulk of the baking for Green Point Park’s Tea In The Park by Reliance and they have recently added a garden nursery as well.
“We love what we’re doing. It’s a huge amount of fun and we laugh every day,” says Amanda. “Debbie is the creative one – she’s passionate about decor – and I do the back office. That’s where I’m happier. So it works perfectly!”
Amanda has been an avid reader since her school days, being lucky enough to have a librarian ‘who just fed me books. And my mom. The usual.” Literacy is a passion for her because as she says, “In terms of kids being able to read and gobble books as well, you can’t educate without good people and you can’t get anywhere without good reading skills. That’s why the whole Vintage With Love slant towards literacy is just awesome.”
Although Tea Under The Trees has not opened for the season yet (they trade from Monday – Friday during the summer months when it is possible to sit outside under the trees), they are turning their collection day into a bit of an event by offering a light lunch with bubbles, coffee and delicious, delightful treats. “It will be nice to see everybody again after the winter break and as we’re asking people to donate, we thought we’d give something in return. We’re not asking anyone to open their wallets, it’s just clearing out cupboards.” But she has requested laundered, pre-loved items that have been gently worn.
If you would like to support a great cause in a great venue, please RSVP by Monday, 21 August 2017 to [email protected]
If you can’t make it to Paarl on the 23rd, do not fear. There are a number of additional drop off points across Cape Town (see the Vintage With Love Facebook page for details) and you can also support the sale at 15 On Orange on the weekend of 1-3 September.
