The year is gaining steam, and so much is already happening in Melville – lots of change, lots to improve, lots of strange happenings, and lots to do. Happy Tuesday and welcome to another great issue of Melville Untold. Here goes nothing!

In today’s Melville Untold,

• 37 Years Of De La Crème  

• Melville Market Reopens This Week 🏬

• The Melville Spar Is Closing Down 😐

Let’s go. 

— Aubrey Moloto, 

The Digest

37 Years Of De La Crème 🥐

Let's dive into a Melville landmark: De La Crème, a family café and bakery that has been a fixture on the iconic corner of 7th Street and 4th Avenue for so long, we almost take it for granted. We met with owner Savva Spiridakosi, chatted with Bradley, a waiter, and spoke to Andrea, a long-time customer. Our goal was to discover how De La Crème has thrived for 37 years, weathered tough storms, and become an integral thread in the fabric of our community.

The History

De La Crème reflects a current global phenomenon: the push and pull between tradition and adaptation faced by older businesses in a changing world. This piece is not just about a restaurant; it's about Melville's history. Imagine the changes it has seen since 1987!

Founded by passionate baker Nick Patoussis, De La Crème started life as a bakery in trendy Jo'burg town, and finally settled in the booming creative hub of Melville.

Initially, a standalone bakery, De La Crème began in a radically different competitive landscape. Savva pointed out that back then (and even today in some European countries like Greece), supermarkets and other retailers didn't have in-store bakeries, nor did cafés and restaurants. So when Nick came to Melville, De La Crème was an instant hit, and over time, it evolved into the beloved family bakery-cafe, we know today.

Savva's Take-Over

De La Crème thrived over the years, greatly benefiting from Melville's golden era of the '90s and early 2000s. Savva, a Kempton Park native, reminisced about visiting Melville in his youth, enchanted by its vibrant bohemian vibe, bustling shops, diverse "melting pot" of people, tourists, and numerous guesthouses. Those memories drew him to our neighbourhood.

After successful ventures owning Bread Basket restaurants in Morningside and Greenstone, Savva sought a new challenge. Upon learning that De La Crème had been closed for six months, he seized the opportunity to revive it in 2018.

The Early Years Under Savva 

Initially, Savva focused on reviving De La Crème, retaining core menu items while introducing new dishes inspired by cookbooks, successful businesses, and social media. Aided by Melville's continued vibrancy, with few empty storefronts and a steady flow of business and tourists, De La Crème soon began to boom. To the neighbourhood's delight, it was back! Savva thoroughly enjoyed those first two years – until COVID struck.

COVID To Now

In 2020, the pandemic began impacting businesses globally. Savva witnessed the closure of mega businesses like the Media24 building, followed by many smaller local establishments. This significantly reduced foot traffic in Melville. Despite the pandemic's hardships, De La Crème persevered through 2020-2021.

As the country opened up and people sought a return to normalcy, the business started performing reasonably well. However, from 2022 onwards, De La Crème faced new challenges: a weakening economy, decreased traffic due to negative perceptions of Melville, infrastructural issues like water and electricity cuts, and increased competition.

To combat these challenges, Savva installed gas, acquired a small generator to mitigate electricity issues, and is now exploring solar power options. However, the water supply problem persists.

Savva believes that unreliable water and electricity have hurt businesses in the area. The combination of these challenges has weakened his confidence in continuing. He feels that if businesses cannot unite to fight against Melville's negative perception, trading on 7th Street will remain difficult.

He was pleased to hear about the Melville Business Association hosting another "The Happening" festival, citing it as his most memorable Melville moment. Savva believes that day-trade-focused family events like these will help Melville shed its negative image and support businesses reliant on daytime trade.

External Validation 

The general perception of De La Crème appears positive. Scouring Trip Advisor, we found an overwhelming majority of positive reviews, with only 2-3 negative ones. Customers praise the quality and freshness of the food, attentive and friendly service, diverse menu options, and the staff's willingness to accommodate dietary needs.

De La Crème has a strong base of regulars who have formed solid relationships with the staff. Bradley, a waiter, shared how long-time customer Barry, who had been coming since before Bradley's time, developed a wonderful friendship with the manager. Bradley attributes this loyalty to their fresh, made-from-scratch pastries.

Andrea fell in love with De La Crème while interning nearby, popping in for coffee between breaks. Now, she holds meetings, friend dates, and solo dates there, drawn to the "welcoming atmosphere" and "outstanding coffees and cappuccinos," especially the Greek coffee.

The Menu

Savva was mindful not to stray too far from the menu items that made De La Crème special. While the menu has evolved and recently undergone a revamp, popular classic dishes like hake and chips, classic burger meals, the hit "De La Crème Breakfast," and more have remained.

Savva added the Bacon Rosty, Spicy Breakfast Bruschetta, panini and wrap sections, and the Greek Goddess Salad – a twist on the classic Greek salad. Some less popular items were removed, while others were remixed into new creations like the cruffin, a croissant-muffin hybrid. This remixing technique adds novelty to offerings perceived as "boring." De La Crème takes extra care to ensure dishes are made with quality ingredients.

Menu Highlights:

• Bakery: Fresh, scratch-made croissants, breads, cakes, pastries, and tarts. The bakery's freshness is a key factor in the restaurant's success.

• Breakfast: Fresh pastries, eggs, and Mediterranean-inspired plates. Popular choices include the "De La Crème Breakfast," standard "cream breakfast" with eggs and bacon, bunless breakfast burger, "smashed avo on toast," "breakfast club ciabatta," and spicy breakfast bruschetta.

• Lunch: Sandwiches, soups, and light bites. Various sandwiches, wraps, paninis, and tramezzinis are offered, with the hearty Mediterranean sandwich being a popular choice.

• Other Dishes: Pastas and other light meals.

• Cakes and Pastries: Variety of cakes and pastries, including chocolate tarts and custom birthday cakes.

Overall, De La Crème aims to provide "pure food, pure pleasure" in a relaxed, family-oriented environment.

If you enjoyed today’s in-depth read about De La Crème consider buying us a coffee.

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

Things seem to have picked up. The Melville Market at Kruisgemeente Church is reopening this weekend, Liquid Blue now offers Karaoke on Sundays, The Soucery is having a thrift pop-up store event and much more to do this week! 🥳

Melville Weather For The Week ☔️ 

Looks like it will rain again on Thursday. Don’t get caught! 🌂

Tuesday

28° 🌡️ 15°  | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 2% | E 13km/h 💨

Wednesday 

29° 🌡️ 16°  | ☀️ |  🌧️ 4% | ENE 11 km/h 💨

Thursday  

27° 🌡️ 15° | 🌩️ | 🌧️ 80% | WNW 9 km/h 💨

Friday 

30° 🌡️ 16° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 4% | SW 9 km/h 💨

Saturday 

29° 🌡️ 17° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 4% | E 6 km/h 💨

Sunday

30° 🌡️ 16° |  ⛅️ |  🌧️ 25% | ESE 7 km/h 💨

Monday 

30° 🌡️ 17° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 1% | W 4 km/h 💨

Live & Music Events Lowdown 🎸

Smoking Kills is back! Soundscapes and poetry at Chiesa and Malcolm Jiyane is having a listening sesh at The Soucery. What to do, what to do? 🤷‍♂️

21/01 Tuesdays | 7 pm - 10 pm | Xai Xai Lounge | Eric Miyeni & Richard Jones playing live music | Free entry

21/01 Tuesdays | 7 pm - 10 pm | Coca Lounge | Artist open showcase/performance | Free entry

22/01 Wednesday | SIX Cocktails Bar | Live Jazz Sessions - Marcus Wyatt, Dave Cousins, Sphelelo Mazibuko, Thembinkosi Mavimbela | 8 pm til late | Free entrance 

23/01 Thursdays | 7 pm - 10 pm | Coca Lounge | Open Mic - Plug in, play, sing and rap | Free entry

24/01 Friday | 7 pm | The Soucery | Listening Session feat. Malcolm Jiyane Tree-o | Tickets from R160, R200 at the door | BYOB | Book via Whatsapp 0713841237 | Limited space | Coffees available for purchase inside

24/01 Friday | 6.30 pm - 11 pm | Chiesa di PAZZO LUPi | Earth & Ether: An Immersive Evening Of Soundscapes & Poetry - Callum Kuhl, Geoffrey Diver, Senna-Marie & Page Dina | Tickets from R120

24/01 Friday | 6 pm - 2 am | Smoking Kills Bar | Donny Basco All Night: Clauds, Donny Basco, DRVGGS & Kintsugi | Presale R50, R80 at the door before 10 pm, R100 after

24/01 Friday | Coca Lounge | ShakesMusique Birthday Celebration - Mr H, Daloomusic, Deep Storm, Da Chiefvo, Relay, Big Bear, Deep House Intruderz | Every Sunday

25/01 Saturday | 8 pm til late | Coca Lounge | Coca’s 1st Birthday Party - DJ’S: Deep House Intruderz, Storm, Pa, Grant, Dxtr, Kenny SA, Cedrick, Nano, RY MC, Kendy, Tina Malaika 

26/01 Sunday | 4 pm | Jo’anna Meltbar | Sola Vida Drum & Bass | 1/2 price cocktails | Free entry all day

Sundays | 8 pm - 10 pm | Coca Lounge | Vynil Sundaze - DJ Mo, DJ Peppe, Dj Ferose, JusDane & DJ Ashwin | Every Sunday

If this comprehensive weather and gig guide helped you, consider buying us a coffee.

For more updates as the week goes on, visit our instagram page @snapson7th

Melville Koppies Check-in ⛰️

We checked in with the Koppies family this weekend and filmed Elsja (a Friend of the Melville Koppies) doing her weekly weeding with a group of volunteers. This will be our first episode on a show coming to our YouTube channel called "The Koppies Explorer," covering points of interest at the Melville Koppies and what goes on up there. Thanks to Elsja for indulging us and helping us kick off this fun YouTube series! Episodes will start going live in February.

Saturday's monthly "Walk With Dogs" event on Melville Koppies West was a huge success! We had a group of about 12 people with their furry family members, guided by Tam, David, and myself. David led us on a mildly challenging but scenic route. We were protected from the sun by a thick blanket of dark clouds that thankfully brought no rain. They cleared up as we finished the hike. What a splendid Saturday morning connecting with fellow Melville lovers and their freely roaming, excitedly exploring animals!

This coming Sunday, you can join Jenny and some MK guides (including me) for the monthly last-Sunday 8 km hike on Melville Koppies Central. You can also free-roam if you wish and explore the koppies on your own. Entrance fee is R100 for adults, R50 for under 18s, and free for under 5s. These fees go towards maintaining the koppies. You can also support the Melville Koppies by using the MySchool card if you shop at Woolies. Just make sure that you choose "Friends Of The Melville Koppies" as your beneficiary. Scan the QR code below to see how else you can get involved.

The guided walks happen every last Sunday of the month, starting from Marks Park at 8:30am. (R100 for adults, R50 for under 18s - call 079 532 0083 for details

Civil Matters 👷‍♀️

We spoke to Danny from CREASS and here’s whats going on with civil matters.

Now that the rain has finally come to a halt, the guys from CREASS, contracted by the MSI and MRA, are finally getting a chance to address the backlog and problems caused by the storm and continuous rain. They're helping City Parks with tree branches and litter, and the streets are starting to look better again.

A big heads-up: there are some major service delivery issues at the moment from the City of Johannesburg. The JMPD, JRA, City Parks, and Johannesburg Water seem to be the most impacted by the grounding of their fleets due to the City not being able to pay for the vehicle rental fees. JMPD are not heavily affected on the ground level as much as on management.

There's a backlog of City Parks issues, they aren't able to get resources to sites. Johannesburg Water is struggling to attend to many burst pipes as well. Fortunately, they are starting to make progress in our area.

JRA is currently not doing any reinstatements or potholes in the area. CREASS have sent through a list of sites that they need to attend to, but we're still awaiting feedback from them.

The City has been severely impacted by this fleet issue, so brace yourselves for a rough patch. If you experience a power outage, log it straight away. Talk to your street group to see if it's an individual issue or if it affects more people; the more people it affects, the quicker it usually gets addressed.

Overall, it's a bit of a go-slow (slower than usual) moment with City’s services so please hold tight if you can.

Markets Watch 🎪

Melville Market

The Melville Market on Fourth Avenue opens this Saturday! The team has been working to bring us more offerings. In 2025, they look to solidify their market as a prominent food and shopping destination in Jo'burg. They'll do this by building a great variety of quality products (mind the pun) and expanding their vendor base. This should grow their customer base and make this market a popular destination for shoppers.

Melville Artisanal Market

As promised, we hit Rustenburg Road and caught up with the good people of the Melville Artisanal Market and their offerings. After a cold and rainy start the week before, the sun thankfully came out to play this time! More vendors came out too – selling fresh fruit and veggies, free-range eggs and chicken, cheeses, pâtés and dips, baked goodies, pre-loved books, and the best samosas you have ever tasted in your life!

Our most interesting find was a man named Andrew who sells raw honey. He makes this honey himself using bees that get pollen from the neighbourhoods the hives are in and creates each area's unique honey. This weekend, he had some Melville honey for sale! We need to check in with Andrew again and tell you more about him and his honey operation.

Icing On The Cake  ✨

In today's tidbits, we have some sweet and sour news. We'll start with the sweet.

Coca Is Turning 1

Happy birthday to Coca Restaurant and Lounge! Coca is turning 1 year old on Sunday, January 26th, but will be celebrating with a huge event on Saturday (check the gig guide for more info). Congratulations to them for keeping their doors open and the vibes going against all odds. All the best for the future!

Malcolm Jiyane Listening Sesh + Pop-up Market at The Sourcery

This Friday, January 24th, there'll be a Sourcery first. Internationally renowned jazz cat Malcolm Jiyane will be having an intimate listening session hosted by 2Jazz SA. Coffees will be available for sale inside. At the same event, Preloved With Les, a thrift store, will be setting up and booting up for their pop-up event happening on Saturday, January 25th at 10 am. They promise espresso, art, and vintage charm. From then on, their pop-up thrift store will be inside The Sourcery until further notice.

A Sad End To An Era

Last week, news broke that the Melville Spar will officially be closing its doors. This follows a host of businesses that have been closing down in Melville over the last year or so, with Duke's Burgers closing down and Dominique's Angel Shack and Hobo Collection soon to follow suit. In Melville, we're used to waves of change by now, but this seems the biggest.

However each of us personally feels about the Spar, it has played one of the most prominent roles of any business in Melville. It's the biggest landmark and arguably holds the most memories for many of us. On social media, some were happy to hear this given Spar's decline in quality and service in recent years, while others were sad to hear that many people will be losing their jobs. Good news, management told us that the Spar Group will help place employees in jobs elsewhere.

Nothing has been said about what will come of it, but with "you know what" being built across the road at the old Roxy's building, let's hope it's not something that will attract negative or low-quality people here. Not in such a pivotal phase of our community's revival efforts.

Most of Melville seems to be praying for a Food Lovers Market. Now wouldn't that be something! But we feel in the interim, until another supermarket (hopefully) comes, this is a brilliant opportunity for our markets. We should look to the two markets we have to stock up on fresh produce and products we can use daily. Prices might not be the same as a supermarket, but the quality is usually better, plus you get to mingle with fellow Melvillians and support artisans who pour so much love into their offerings.

So long, Melville Spar. We thank you for all the wonderful memories. 🤍✨

Thank you! 🙏

That's it for today's Melville Untold newsletter. Thank you for tapping in! We hope it helps make your week easier, better, or more entertaining.

As usual, we appreciate your support so much! If you loved our work this week, consider buying us a coffee.

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Simply reply to this email or call me - Aubrey, personally on 0605293425 or 0818262904 on WhatsApp. Let's make some magic!

Stay engaged, stay passionate, and let's continue to create a happy Melville together! 🌈

'Til next Tuesday,

Aloha! 🌺