From hobby to business venture, resident opens antique shop
Tony said the idea to start his antique store was formed after he met Primrose business owner Desmond Soekoe.
A pastime that started as a hobby for Germiston resident Tony Visser evolved into his lifetime passion of collecting pieces of history from South Africa.
Tony, the owner of a vintage and antique store on Geldenhuis Road in Malvern, started collecting historic pieces about eight years ago after watching a show called American Pickers.
The show documented the trips and journeys of two antique dealers who would travel America to look for, purchase and sell antiques.
“I’ve been to flea markets, car boot sales and to pawn shops but my most amazing find was at the Vaal Dam,” said Tony.
While walking along the edge of the water with his wife, the duo noticed a peculiarly shaped piece of metal sticking out of the mud.
“When we pulled it out, we realised it was the tip of a Boer War-era cannon, I returned with a metal detector and found various rifle rounds and pieces of shrapnel and other metal shards.”
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Tony explained his fascination with old items most likely dated to his childhood.
“My father gave me a nice metal trunk that used to belong to a family member and I loved it, they’re practical, useful and over the years I collected more of them.
“I collected rusty trunks, metal boxes and just have a massive variety.”
Tony said the idea to start his antique store was formed after he met Primrose business owner Desmond Soekoe.
“My home and garage were filled with various items and Desmond encouraged me to open a store not just to make money but to also showcase and share my collection with others.”
While considering whether he wanted to open a store, Tony was put in touch with vintage bike builder Jason Doyle in 2018.
“Jason is such a positive person and at the time he was planning a motorised bicycle trip to Cape Town in preparation for a trip through Africa.
“When I heard this and heard he was raising funds for the Little Fighters Cancer Trust, I wanted to join him and ride to the Cape with him.
“The people we met on our 20-day journey were truly amazing, we truly have amazing people in SA.”
Tony said the first donation the pair received was R10 from a homeless man.
“Although there are a lot of amazing people, there are a lot of people running away from their problems and running away from themselves.”
In total, Tony and Jason raised R60 000 for the trust.
With his collection open to the public, Tony said he wants visitors to be blown away when they visit.
“I want people to come here and go ‘wow’ when they see the collection.
“I want to encourage children to value their possessions and look after and preserve what they own.”
Tony said besides being able to showcase his collection, 2020 was one of the best years of his life despite the pandemic.
“I was able to spend plenty of time with my wife, build puzzles and watch movies.
“In my opinion, we are living through something historic, so I am soaking it up.”
Looking to the future, Tony is hoping to create a meeting point for the community to come together.
“Once we are set up, I would like to have free vintage movie nights once a month for people to come together and enjoy themselves and experience what old drive-ins used to be like.”
He also hopes to host various workshops and demonstrations to teach and show community members new skills, such as soldering and basic electronic work.
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