Hassims Supply Store celebrates a full century!
Hassims Supply Store, situated on the corner of Corckery- and Chris Hani Street in Bela-Bela, has been a wellknown beacon with the storefront in red, yellow and blue for many years, and by right so.
This establishment will soon be celebrating their 100 years of being a reputable supply store in the area.
According to the management, the original store, then known simply as Supply Store, was opened in 1923 as a family business and started trading in Sutter Road, opposite the premises of Warmbaths Outfitters.
The Bham’s Hardware Store was managed by Shirin Bham and Ismail Hassim. Thereafter they took over Supply Store in town and amalgamated the hardware stores.
“In the early days it was a general dealer, selling mostly ‘army supplies’ and hardware. Later on they also sold groceries and food for livestock. With the purchase of another hardware store in the then Warmbad town, they switched to just trade in hardware,” said the management team. “A fun fact about grandfather Hassim was that his telephone number on the old telephone switch board service in town was the number one. Today the business is still run by members of the Hassim family, Ismail and his mother Shirin.”
It would be years later that they would purchase a new building (Bux Hardware) from the previous owner, the late Basie Wessels, original developer of Mabalingwe Nature Reserve.
The business name was changed in 2004 to Hassim’s Supply Store and trading from the current address.
Looking back on the past, the staff and management can recall two major events, namely the Covid 19-pandemic and the passing of the backbone of the business, Farook Hassim, managing director of the business.
“The pandemic was a challenging time for all shopkeepers. We traded with half the staff and with only half of our clients, because everyone was restricted. However, we are grateful to still be trading today. The other event that was extremely challenging was the passing of Farook. He was an astute business leader and with him gone it was difficult to keep the standard of service delivery to our customers high and we had to make financial calls and restructure management to keep the business afloat.” “Looking to the future, we and our 40 employees are looking forward to another century of excellent service delivery to the community. We will stay your reliable supplier of hardware.”
In celebration of this, the store will be hosting a special event on Saturday September 2, where a section of Corckery Road will be closed off.
The store, and other businesses will have products on display. Food vendors will entice visitors with delectable dishes. The young ones are not left behind, as they are the customers of the future. They will be kept entertained with fun projects by the newly elected Representative Learner Council (RCL) of Hoërskool Warmbad.
“We will be celebrating our Indian culture with delicious dishes, such as biryani, bunny chows, curry, and many more traditional dishes. There will be give-aways, music and lots of entertainment. Those intereted can receive a Henna tattoo. Everyone in town are more than welcome.”
The management would like to thank their loyal colleagues, suppliers and clients who enabled the business to reach this milestone.
“Our brand has grown from strength to strength over the years. This is truly an amazing feeling knowing that being one of the pioneer businesses in Bela-Bela we are able to share this experience with you all. From our home to yours a very heartfelt thank you.”
