What does the Wimbledon Tennis Championship, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Spiro’s Stores Durbanville have in common?
“They all started in 1922 – fortunately, two of the three have stood the test of time and are still with us today,” Steven Sollinger, chief executive officer of Spiro’s, said at a recent cocktail party for suppliers, service providers, the management team and family members to celebrate the store’s 100 years in business.
“This journey would not have been possible without you, our loyal and dedicated suppliers and service providers by our side. A family business is reliant on relationships, and tonight that is what we would like to celebrate and be thankful for.
“Our journey would have been very different if the relationships we have built up over the years, with suppliers and service providers like yourselves, had been different,” he said.
In 1922, Harry Spiro opened a general dealership here in Durbanville in the spot that is Romens Pizza today.
His sons, Norman, Monty and Theo grew up in the house next to the store – under the trees at the bottom of the carpark, Sollinger said.
“When Harry died at the age of 49, the boys were still very young, and their mother Jessie took the business over until Monty joined the family business in 1947.
“Theo joined the store when he was 18 years old. With the untimely death of his brother, Monty, in 1962, Theo took over the running of the store and when one of their major suppliers, William Spilhaus, was sold to Sanlam, Theo had the foresight to change the general dealership into one of the first DIY, self-service stores – focusing on household needs.
“Amazingly, he worked here until shortly before his passing, some 65 years later,” he continued.
“In 1983, my brother-in-law, Kevin, joined the business and it was in the same year that Spiro’s Stores joined the Mica family as one of its founding members and we look forward to proudly celebrating Mica’s 40th with you all next year,” he said.
In 2006 Spiro’s Corner underwent a major rebuild and the beautiful store we stand in today, was opened.?
“I joined Theo shortly before Kevin passed away, some three years later and one of my deepest regrets was not being able to work alongside him in the business. However, in 2019, Kevin’s son, Jess, joined the business full-time, so we now have a legitimate, fourth-generation family member involved in the day to day running of the business,” he said.?
In 2019 they rebranded Spiro’s Mica Paint and Hardware to Spiro’s Mega Mica, and proudly fly the Mica flag.
“Here’s to one hundred not out, and many more overs to come!” he concluded.
