Durban - Louise and Jan van Niekerk moved from the Free State to the sleepy village of Nottingham Road years ago before it became a fashionable tourism hub.
The talented artists fell in love with the beauty of the lush green Midlands and felt the little hamlet would have good tourism potential. They were right, and their shop Aladdin’s de Light has become a favourite for visitors to Nottingham Road who are looking for art and beautiful objects.
Louise is a talented potter and she and her husband Jan are known for their stained glass creations that are seen decorating many of the Midlands venues and wedding chapels.
She has been doing pottery for more than 30 years working with both stoneware and earthenware, and especially loves producing Raku and smoke-fired vessels.
Aladdin’s de Light is the place to go for all things creative. Their stained glass lamps and window panels are inspiring, and they offer lots of pottery – some functional and others decorative.
Candles, mosaic pieces, wind chimes and sun catchers are among the affordable gifts from their large selection of hand-made goods.
Louise’s creativity knows no bounds, and since they bought the property it has expanded from one small shop into a large shop, studio, bed and breakfast, and at one stage, had an 80-seater restaurant.
Although the Aladdin’s restaurant does not exist any more – because there are not enough hours in the day for the artists to do everything – Louise still sells her delicious Lulu’s pies.
Louise says: “We are privileged to live here. There’s no more rush-hour traffic or big city crime, but instead fresh air and we live a creative life.
“We started doing stained glass in the 1980s. Back then there were very few of us, classes were very hard to find, and specialised suppliers were, as today, few.
“We have people coming from as far as Joburg to commission us, and we urge them to send us pictures of the room and the garden and the images they like so we can get a feel for them and their home before we begin a stained glass window.”
They produce a wide range of lamps in the Tiffany style, in small, medium and large standard lamps, or hanging lamps.
One of the most enjoyable things they offer at Aladdin’s is a pottery workshop for a group of friends or for a group of work colleagues.
Louise said: “The pottery workshop is such fun and a real bonding experience as people get to play.
“They let their hair down and start to think with the right side of their brain. It is a wonderful experience and can be done as a hen’s party or a team build or just for fun for a group of friends.”
For call 033 266 6460, see www.aladdins.co.za or mail [email protected].
Independent on Saturday