End of an era for antique store

Theseus Shambare

IN most cases, vintage and collectible items fetch a fortune.

However, the younger generation — especially millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) and Generation Z (born in 1997 onwards) — seem uninterested in antiques, and, perhaps, this is what has sounded the death knell for local antique stores.

Treasure Trove, which was arguably one of Harare’s oldest and most popular antique stores, closed its doors for the last time a fortnight ago.

Located in the capital’s central business district (CBD), at the corner of Sam Nujoma Street and George Silundika Avenue, the antique store is one of the many traditional establishments that have succumbed to the rapid expansion of “modern” shopping malls.

A stroll in Harare’s CBD shows that small and medium-sized shopping malls are taking over.

Almost every corner of Harare has been invaded by retailers of sorts who sell clothing items, jewellery and technological gadgets, among other things.

Their businesses appear to be booming.

Treasure Trove used to sell old furniture, ornamental antiques, books of various genres and anything else one can think of.

Its closure came as a surprise to many, especially after having survived various economic tumultuous periods of the recent past, some of which claimed the scalp of big corporations.

To passers-by, the store resembled a museum.

It may have seemed strange to them how such an odd-looking store had a prime location in Harare’s CBD.

But for avid readers and treasure hunters, the shop held some hidden valuables.

If you were looking for something unique, you were likely to find it there.

Inside the store, there were always lots of treasure waiting to be discovered.

A variety of titles by renowned writers such as William Shakespeare and controversial author Jeffrey Archer headlined the book section.

Old, but original medals and tennis rackets, as well as exclusive artworks by various artists, were also part of the collection.

One could even find the odd old piano.

All this was spiced up by the unfailingly courteous staff.

Zachariah Mutamba (68), Treasure Trove’s long-serving manager, reckons he lost a part of him when the shop closed.

“We had everything — clothes, glasses, sewing machines, plates . . .

“We were selling at very low prices,” Mutamba told The Sunday Mail Society.

“Packing up and moving are never easy, but this is what I did with a heavy heart when we wrapped up business, as we sent the remaining stock to the auction.

“I worked in the shop since I was a young man.”

Mutamba started working at the store in 1975, when he was 20 years old.

At the time, Bruce Leonard Johnson, who owned the shop, was still alive.

“I came to that place as a boy in search of a job in 1975, but as years went by, I became more connected to the collection in the shop to the extent that whenever someone walked in, I would take him/her through every corner until they found what they were looking for,” he said.

When Johnson died in the early 2000s, the business was inherited by his daughter, Linda Mirriam Johnson, and Mutamba continued in his capacity as the manager.

“Mirriam was so passionate about this business that she cultivated a reading culture in me.

“I eventually fell in love with historical books and artefacts,” he said.

Above all, he said, Linda taught him to be a social and professional person.

“For many who knew her, she was a real socialite, who could effortlessly slip into a conversation and always left an impression.

“Above all, she was so resourceful. I would depend on her for whatever I wanted to know. It seemed she had everything at her fingertips,” he said.

Because of Linda, Mutamba says, he became more connected to people who sell historical ornaments and old “treasured books”.

After she passed away, he continued as the manager under Linda’s husband, Richard Ivor Knee, who, however, did not visit the store as often as the previous owners.

“Up to now, I receive calls from customers who will be looking for something. Some calls will be from our suppliers,” added Mutamba.

Treasure Trove had become his life.

“Only God knows what the future holds,” he said.

“I never looked for another job. The remuneration was fair such that I managed to send all my first three children to school, up to tertiary level.”

It was on one fateful day that Richard came to break the unexpected news that they were closing the business, which has been around for almost a century.

It left Mutamba pondering on how he will raise his other two young children — one in Grade Six and the other who is going to India to study computer science.

Given a chance and capital, he would have wanted to take over the business as the new owner.

“I have vast experience and a strong customer base; I know I will not struggle to establish myself. I am well-known in these circles.

“To many who may not have enough knowledge about the business, they may despise the idea. But I know how viable the business is,” he said.