Thabo Seleso law graduate turned entrepreneur launches The Vintage Bar, a cool, arty place in Maboneng

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

When Maboneng, the little place at the Eastern corner of Johannesburg,  was established in 2009, it became a beacon of hope for a city whose most parts were on the decline due to a combination of official neglect and corporate migrations to the northern suburbs.  In fact Maboneng became a big contributor to Johannesburg’s tourism  sector, especially before Covid-19, attracting international tourist in their thousands from such countries as the US, Canada, Germany, France, The Netherlands and the UK among others.

One of the factors that made the place alive and vibrant was the introduction of art in the area. Galleries and artist studios came into the area, radically transforming the place into a vibrant art hub in Johannesburg. Tourists both local and from the richer parts of the city flocked to the area, and so did art collectors, making the place one of the most vibrant in Johannesburg, especially over the weekend. This was followed by the renovation of buildings into upmarket places for “work, living and playing,” including hosting an independent theatre called POPArt and an independent cinema called Bioscope, among other attractions. The area indeed became a place of choice for “working, playing and living”, particularly for entrepreneurs in the creative sector.

However by 2017, the place changed complexion as a much younger crowd, such as students came in, and with that another form of entertainment dawned in the area in the form of eateries and night clubs attracting the youth market. And  as it were the culture of the place also changed, and with that change, galleries, and other iconic institutions in the area, such as its cinema and its independent theatre, moved out, being replaced by night clubs and eateries catering to the youth. Now in most of the entertainment venues, amapiano, the dance music of the moment is booming everywhere.

Not everyone was of course happy with this, particularly the art type, as they found out that their taste in life, such as art,  jazz and African adult contemporary sound was not being catered for adequately by the new environment that seemed to be geared toward entertaining a young crowd.

And to correct this a number of entrepreneurs are starting to reverse this direction of Maboneng by introducing its art element once more into the area.

One of those entrepreneurs on this mission of getting Maboneng back in touch with its art heart beat once more is  law graduate and diamond polisher-turned restaurant entrepreneur Thabo Seleso.

He has just opened a cool bar/restaurant called The Vintage Bar in the Moad Building No. 25 Albrecht Street in Maboneng.

This place, which should rate as one of the coolest places to have opened in Maboneng in recent years so far has a relaxed atmosphere about it.  It plays cool sounds during the day that is not loud enough to disturb you If you chose to work there during tht day as yopu sip your coffee.

 The first thing that strikes one as you enter the place are the vintage furniture and its several pot plants that you could easily mistake for a garden inside this bar/restaurant. Several its art pieces on its walls, but thre is quite a number of interesting sculptural works on its walls that are sure to catch your eye in this place.

All the furniture that creates a welcoming artistic allure is vintage furniture. And also because The Vintage Bar is housed in the gigantic building that once housed the Museum of African Design (Moad), when Maboneng was still a truly art hub, makes its patrons feel a sense of safety.

“I was invited by Dave, the owner of the building, to start something that would activate activities in this place, and that is how I found myself the owner of this place. All the furniture you see here comes from the store room of Dave and all the art works you see here, have been loaned by artists who share the same vision with me, and that is that Maboneng must become, an art hub once more that unites a community.

“We only opened this place three weeks ago, and so far the response has been great. The Vintage Bar is attracting a certain kind of patron, people who are looking for a cool place to hang out and have a great time listening to cool African music such as jazz and Afro beat, while they are enjoying their drink. I a so grateful to Dave for inviting me to come up with this concept,” Thabo told CITYLIFE/ARTS in an interview.

And indeed as a resident of Maboneng himself, having worked in the area including stint at Bertrand, another popular hangout in Maboneng, Thabo is quite familiar  with Maboneng’s lifestyle and trends and the the potential  the place offers to entrepreneurs who dream big.

Before this kife of trying to make his dreams to become true in Maboneng as an entrepreneurThabo and his dad were in the business of diamond polishing, but when Covid-struck, it took the diamond business with it, and Thabo found himself without employment. He moved to Maboneng from the Free State to try and find his niche in Maboneng as an entrepreneur.  Life was not easy for this law graduate from the University of Free State, who had not worked for anybody, except the family business in the diamond sector since he graduated from law school a few years ago.

“I worked at Bertrand from October last year until December When Dave invited me to start this business here, it became an opportunity for me to implement my vision of creating a place where artists, can feel it is theior home, and those interested in afrt equally feel this is their home as well. This is the vision here, and so far everything is moving in the right direction,” he said.

And moving in the right direction, indeed The Vintage Bar of Maboneng right now, is starting to attract the right kind of attention in Johannesburg. For example, at the beginning of the June, legendary kwaito group Trompies recorded their music video in The Vintage Bar, taking advantage of the place’s ambience, which is suitable for shooting even movies because of its vintage furniture and the whole atmosphere of sophistication the place oozes.

“We are officially launching The Vintage Bar on June 16, and the group Iphupho L’ka Biko, Ikati Esengxoweni among other groups, will be performing here.  This in fact is the beginning of fulfilling the bigger vision of bringing art back to Maboneng,” Thabo said.

The Vintage Bar is also open for event bookings, such as film shoots and weddings.

To book you can contact Thabo on 0783210779, alternatively email the vintagebarmaboneng@gmail.com.