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It wasn't an easy decision to make. For Cora Simpson it felt like "the end of an era” as she closed the doors of Cora’s Costumes after 40 years in business.
The Boksburg costume queen is the designer behind many famous mascot outfits, including the Nando’s cockerel, Oros Man, LEGO Man, Energizer Bunny, Cadbury’s Chappies Chipmunk, the Simba lion and SA’s 2010 Fifa World Cup mascot Zakumi.
At one point Cora had seven branches across the country but in the end she was left with only one shop in Boksburg.
Cora decided to close her business in February after a tough few years of financial battles.
“My husband, Michael, was diagnosed with cancer and then Covid-19 hit us. We fell under the hospitality industry so we were hit the hardest,” Cora tells YOU.
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“The remaining staff all took retrenchment packages which forced us to start selling off assets to be able to pay them, Cora says. "We needed to cover cancer treatment costs as we only kept a hospital plan. We cancelled all policies and finished off the savings.”
The entrepreneur shares that she was busy with orders from Botswana at the time but soon she went from making at least three mascots a month to just one during 2020.
"I knew the writing was on the wall, but I am a survivor. In July 2021 I became a widow and finances became a problem, but I kept going."
But in February this year she finally decided it was time to close up shop. Cora sold over 20 000 costumes she'd created over the years with all of their accessories to two young teachers from Brakpan who are starting their own business.
“When I saw the trucks drive away, I had difficulty swallowing but knew that life goes on,” she says.
Of all her creations over the years, Cora only kept a couple of 1920s- and 1930s-style dresses which she will give to her niece’s daughter.
Reflecting on her journey, she says that she wouldn’t have done anything differently.
Cora was 40 years old when she started her costume company after working for many years as a production planner and stock controller for an ice-cream factory.
“There was nobody to teach me. There was no Google. So, I prayed through everything as I did not even own a sewing machine let alone know how to use it,” the entrepreneur says.
“There were many flops, but I never gave up.”
Cora’s interest in costume-making started in the early 1970s when she joined an amateur drama and musical production company called Stage Club.
She explains that for each production there was a person responsible for sorting out the costumes.
“That person’s name will be in big letters in the programme and everyone made a fuss of that person. So, when they were doing Little Mary Sunshine and Oklahoma I volunteered. Just to be important.”
Cora spent hours in the library doing research on how to make costumes.
“Reading and studying was an eye-opener, and even in those early years I wondered what it would be like to have my own rooms full of costumes,” she says.
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After the success of the productions, Cora started her business with very little capital which she got from selling her Old Mutual shares and renting out a few rooms.
“I had no clue how to cut even a clown, but I thought if you can stitch a dress for a doll by hand, how difficult will it be to make it bigger?”
Her first costumes were a couple of 1920s dresses and a clown. She eventually learnt how to use a sewing machine and made her first mascot called Daantjie Kat.
“I had three days. I managed by not sleeping, my husband feeding me some food with a spoon, as I could not spare the time to eat. He was holding a teacup with a straw so I could drink while I worked.”
Cora developed bedsores from sitting on a hard chair for so long, but her determination kept her going.
“No clue how to make a mascot and did what I always did best - I prayed and prayed and asked the Lord how to do it. For the round head I found a fishbowl that fitted. The next morning the client collected. I told him I did not make the mascot but God did. Twelve o’clock he called me, and he said: 'We were all so impressed by God’s work so could you please ask Him to make five more?'”
Today, Cora has many awards to her name as well as the satisfaction of knowing that over the years her costumes have made their way to countries such as Denmark, the USA, Portugal, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Italy, Bahrain, Madagascar, Dubai, Spain, Israel and Kenya.
These days she continues to mentor and offer daily advice to other women who have costume businesses, and she continues to make costumes when people ask her.
“I always say: 'Please, God, give me work until my life is done, and life until my work is done'.”
And she has these words of advice for entrepreneurs who are just starting out.
"Remember that failing is not a disgrace - just get up, and start again. Forget about driving a big flashy car. Forget about swanky clothes. Business must be a priority, but never neglect your family time.”
