GOOD
NEWS
15
26 JANUARY 14 June 2016 2016
The whimsical wonders of Amulet
The side streets and alleyways of Hermanus are filled with interesting little specialty shops just waiting to be discovered. One such gem is Amulet in Broad Street (just off Mitchell Street), where owner Hélène Truter has created a vintage shop brimming with nostalgia and romance. Every nook and cranny of the shop is filled with what Hélène calls “pretty things”, everything from décor items, gifts, clothing, accessories and even skin products that are displayed on quirky shelves, tables and cupboards, while others are draped over the walls and dangle from the ceiling. “I only do pretty,” says Hélène. “This is my pretty place where people come to spoil themselves. Every item in my shop is unique and transports you to another time and place. We all need a pretty fix from time to time!” As people tend to linger in the shop, Helene invested in an imported coffee machine and they also serve delicious coffee and cake in the coffee corner and the charming little courtyard at the back of the shop. Hélène hardly needs introduction. Our very own resident celebrity is a prolific actress, director and scriptwriter, perhaps best remembered for her endearing role as Poppie in the SABC2 sitcom Vetkoekpaleis. She started her writing career in the early nineties when she joined the Egoli scripwriting team, and 300 scripts later she moved on to Africa’s biggest soap, Generations, to become the head scriptwriter in 1997. She is also the creator and head writer of the multi award-winning SABC2 drama series Swartwater (‘Black Water’). The first series comprising 26 episodes of 48 minutes each, was screened in 2014 and she is currently writing the second series with her husband, Percy Pretorius. The couple had met on the stage in the late eighties when both performed for PACT (“In the play he had to kiss me on stage and the earth just moved,” says Hélène) and were married in 1992. They later bought a holiday home in Vermont, but Hélène says “we hardly spent any time there as we were always working!” In December 2010 they left Johannesburg with their daughter Jana to
settle permanently in Vermont and embrace “small town living”. At the time Hélène was still employed as a director on the popular soap, Binnelanders, and she commuted regularly to Johannesburg, as she still does. “Percy and I had no intention of giving up our careers, but we also wanted to start something new in Hermanus. I have always liked pretty things and am an avid fan of car boot and garage sales. One of my favourite shops in Hermanus was Amulet, and when I told the owner that I would love to run her shop for her, she said she was actually thinking of selling – and that was it!” When the pet shop next door to Amulet closed last year, Hélène and Percy took over that space to enlarge their shop. “It had become very cluttered but now the shop can breathe again,” says Percy. After completing a barista course, he has taken over the coffee duties and also bakes Amulet’s famous carrot cake. Either Percy or Hélène are to be found on the premises on most days (“The ladies love Percy!” says Hélène), and they get much of their inspiration for the Swartwater script from the shop’s customers and the stories they share. “Every day in the shop is different,” says Hélène. “You learn to ‘read’ people and how to engage with them. What I love about this shop is that it brings us into contact with real, genuine people and we have carried that experience through to our writing. Swartwater is about a town very much like Hermanus, which also has its secrets and intrigues.” Walking through Amulet’s doors is like entering Aladdin’s cave of wonders, a charming whimsical world of romance and nostalgia. “We may not stock everyday essentials, but we offer something that I think is even more essential – little treasures that make you feel good. Our customers come here to spoil themselves and walk out of the shop with things they have fallen in love with. We don’t only sell ‘stuff’, we sell a feeling.” Find Amulet at 4 Broad Street, Hermanus, www.amulatlifestyle.com / 028 313 0359. - Hedda Mittner
Hélène Truter with her husband Percy Pretorius and their miniature Yorkie, Diva.