LIVING LA VIDA LOCAL
Fabricate
Leila and Farzanah Badsha
STARTUP COSTS: ‘We each put in R10 000 of our own savings and also took out a R40 000 loan for our rental deposit. In total, it was around R60 000. We did everything ourselves so it was, and still is, a DIY shop!’
TURNOVER: ‘We are now able to support two modest director salaries and can employ three part-time staff members.’
Right under the Fabricate logo you’ll find two words that sum up what the Badsha sisters’ business is all about: ‘Shop Local’. Leila and Farzanah Badsha’s little gift shop in the heart of Cape Town is a treasure trove of handcrafted South African jewellery, handy homeware, stationery and everything in between. As The Little Mermaid would sing: ‘They’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty, they’ve got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? They’ve got twenty!’
Was this always the plan: being entrepreneurs?
I studied politics and sociology and Farzanah
