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- Maggie Yona-Abrams took a leap of faith to pursue her childhood dream.
- In February 2022, she started her own business, Deco Bottle Art, after losing her job during the pandemic.
- The 42-year-old was always passionate about upcycling and was encouraged by her daughter to give it a go.
- She currently sells her items online and at flea markets and hopes to one day have her own art gallery-café where she employs and upskills women.
A few kilometres outside of Potchefstroom, there once lived a little girl named Maggie
who dreamed of turning her love of art into something great.
More than three decades later, on 14 February 2022, that dream became a reality.
The 42-year-old mom from Hartbeespoort Dam in the North West has come a long way building her brand, Deco Bottle Art, which turns recycled glass bottles into stunning home decor pieces.
But Maggie Yona-Abrams didn't start her business until after losing her job.
As massive shutdowns began in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, it created an economic disaster for thousands of people in South Africa, including Maggie, who worked as an office administrator at an electrical construction company.
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"Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the company I was working for could no longer get projects. There was a long period where construction was locked down, so they suffered a huge financial loss and had to release us," she says.
Ever since her retrenchment, it's been tough, adds Maggie, who was employed there for more than 10 years. But as someone who takes things in her stride, she believes it was something that had to happen for her to finally pursue her passion.
"It's sad that I had to lose my job, but I would've never visited my talent if it didn't happen. So, I'm also happy about it because it unboxed that talent I always had. I feel like now I found my passion, and this is something I want to do."
The bottle collector
The opportunity to upcycle items into home decor has always been a hobby of Maggie's.
"I always collected unique bottles, which started with perfume bottles, and used them to propagate plants, or as storage and decor in the house."
For her business, she mostly uses wine and champagne bottles which she receives as donations, while the acrylic paint is usually sponsored by Dala, a Cape-Town based paint manufacturer.
But it was only in 2019 that she decided to take the idea seriously and
painted the bottles to gift to friends and family. And then her daughter, Nini,
suggested an idea.
"She said, 'Mommy you know what - I think you have a business here'. And she convinced me to start an Instagram account.
"She believed that we could start selling them because people really liked them," says Maggie who is grateful to Nini, "because she knows I'm so shy - I don't like being on social media. But she [Nini] pushed me and I'm slowly getting used to it".
Nini, 20, a published author and artist herself, is her mom's content editor and captures Instagram-worthy
pictures of the painted bottles to promote on the social media app.
Before Nini, Maggie's biggest supporter was her late dad: "As a young child, I always used to draw. My dad was a farmworker and we were struggling a lot, so I didn't grow up having everything, but I always asked my dad to buy me crayons."
The crayons would make her so happy.
"I'd start drawing and he'd say to me: 'You've got talent. And I believe one day, a lot of people are going to know your name'. He always encouraged me and wanted me to study. But you know when you grow up on the farm, you're not exposed to many opportunities, and my parents were not educated so they didn't know these things."
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On living sustainably and responsibly
Maggie also values the importance of zero waste and sustainable living.
"I've always been very conscious [of the environment] and in 2009 I started my own recycling company. I was really into it," she says.
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Sadly, she couldn't get financial support and had to shift focus.
"I wanted to do the clean-up and pickup; I wanted to have my own truck, but it didn't work out. But there's a company nearby that does recycling and I do my best to support them."
Maggie speaks lovingly of Hartbeespoort Dam, but her tone suddenly changes as she talks about the litter that remains a huge concern.
"If you can see how people are littering there, it's upsetting and irresponsible, and that was one of the things that made me want to do my best. I believe that if all of us can just do a little bit, we can really change our situation."
Next step for Maggie
She hopes to one day work with the biggest retail companies in South Africa and envisions establishing an entire home decor range, including duvet covers, cushions, curtains, T-shirts, plates, coffee cups - you name it.
"That will make me so happy," says Maggie.
Currently, she markets and sells her products through Instagram, WhatsApp, Etsy and at flea markets. She delivers to every part of South Africa using Paxi, a store-to-store courier service.
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Maggie is also working towards getting her products on Takealot. The company requires sellers to be registered as a business, which she accomplished in October.
Maggie and Nini have always wanted to open an art gallery-café where people can appreciate the beauty of their creativity while enjoying a cup of coffee and dessert.
"And maybe I can employ a few ladies and upskill them. That is our dream," she says.
