What a delight to recently meet with identical twins Eileen Opperman and Rose Carlin who owned La Boutique in Rothsay Street for 10 years. Eileen saw our appeal for City Times stories as part of our centenary celebration and gave me a call to gush about the fabulous era in their lives, in the late ’80s to late ’90s, when their exclusive clothing store and Benoni Plaza were at the peak of success. We reminisced at Eileen’s home in Farrarmere one Sunday morning when Rose, who lives in Bedfordview, was there for her weekly lunch date with her twin.
Eileen and Rose are now 78 years old. It really was like seeing double upon meeting the two, the subtle differences in personality only coming through as we chatted over a file of old newspaper clippings Eileen lovingly put together through the years.
“Our maiden name is Senogles. We were born and raised in Benoni in a house in Newlands Avenue,” Eileen explained. “Rose and I attended Benoni Junior School and Benoni West and then went to boarding school in Witbank. Our mom was from the Cape and our dad from the Isle of Man,” she said.
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Eileen opened La Boutique in March 1988 after running the women’s department of Hyde’s Man’s Shop for a decade. The name, she explained, came after she decided on the Eiffel Tower as the store’s logo.
She had 24 years’ experience in fashion and, as reported in the City Times in August 1988, “in a position to give her customers expert advice on outfits, colours, styles and how to build up their wardrobe”.
La Boutique was a place for the young, sophisticated and trendy and offered designer wear, accessories, jewellery and exclusive ranges, which included Lauren Lee, Midgear and Kacha labels.
In 1988, Eileen’s predictions for hot summer trends (also as reported in the City Times) were “bright-coloured clothing with big and small prints, cycling shorts, big jackets and Bermuda shorts and belts around the waist rather than on the hips”.
Rose joined the business in the early ’90s and the twins took full advantage of their location and the Benoni Plaza’s popularity. They were regular advertisers in the City Times, promoting themselves and the exclusive creations and services they offered.
“We used a Pretoria designer, Gerald Meyer, and on Fridays he would come to the boutique for appointments with customers – brides, mothers of brides or girls wanting matric farewell dresses,” Rose explained.
“Charlize Theron and her mom came to us for her matric farewell dress. Charlize knew exactly what she wanted. She was beautiful and stylish then already.
“Gerald was so talented and even recovered shoes and hats. The boutique was always abuzz with activity and so vibrant and exciting.”
Their regular fashion shows, especially on Saturdays, were a highlight, Rose recalled.
“Around 1989/90, the council revitalised the CBD and the plaza benefited tremendously from this. We expanded our shop and regularly arranged fashion shows on the plaza’s promenade, with models walking from our store over the beautiful bridge area and back again.
“The crowds loved it. The plaza was the place to be and to shop. It was so beautiful and so busy in those days.”
As booming as business was, La Boutique could not escape the rot of crime which started infiltrating CBDs around that time.
In an article in the Sunday Times Metro on September 15, 1991, Rose spoke openly about the desperation they felt after La Boutique was burglarised seven times in four months and clothing worth more than R10 000 stolen.
They had to instal an expensive security system and would remove all their garments from display windows on weekends (when the burglaries mostly happened), but they continued to be targeted.
Eileen was in the store alone one afternoon when she buzzed two women in through the security gate. As they opened the door a man slipped in and held her up. Eileen was knocked to the floor during the robbery, but she remembers chasing after the robber when he fled the shop.
“It was a very stressful time and put a damper on our beautiful business. It was evident the plaza was quickly falling into neglect and we no longer felt safe at the store.
“In 1998, we decided to sell the boutique to a woman who wanted ‘jobs for her two daughters’. I believe it stayed open another two years after that,” said Eileen.
Eileen and Rose, who are both widowed, are saddened by the degradation of Benoni over the years but cling fondly to the memories they have.
“People still remember us from La Boutique and greet us when we go shopping in Benoni,” Eileen said.
Looking at the twins in all their glory on the pages of the City Times all those years ago, elegantly attired and with beautiful long blonde hair, there is no denying their older selves are still the embodiment of elegance and style, from head to toe.
After the boutique was sold, Rose did a course in nail sculpture and still runs a business doing this from home. Eileen started a small gym for women in the garage of her Farrarmere townhouse and did a course in massage, which she then also offered to clients at her home.
The secret to their success with La Boutique?
“Definitely regular advertising in the City Times, personalised service and a loyal customer base. We advertised in the City Times every week and they regularly did write-ups on the boutique. The City Times is so special, even now amid Covid-19, and was such a big part of our business life. Congratulations on your 100th birthday! You are the best!” they said.
Advice to other entrepreneurs?
“If you want to go into retail, make sure you choose the right location and don’t forget to advertise in your local newspaper.”
Any final thoughts?
“It would be truly wonderful if the Benoni Plaza could again be what it was all those years ago.”
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