Edenvinne is not simply a cosmetics dealer

After struggling to get her cosmetic products on the shelves in retail stores because “they were not popular enough”, Rearabetswe Dire set out to create a space in which small brands could thrive. Today, she owns two retail stores that sell only locally-produced cosmetic products.

Born and raised in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria, the founder of Edenvinne and serial entrepreneur has undertaken multiple failed business ventures but didn’t give up until she found the right one. 

The idea of opening a retail outlet was the result of a pop-up store she set up at the Menlyn Mall in 2021, which made her realise it was easier to sell cosmetics at a mall than at an open market. “I used to attend markets trying to sell my products — like the ones in Maboneng and Pretoria — but people were just there for food and drinks, not necessarily cosmetics.”

Dire put together a business plan and approached Menlyn Mall in the hope of becoming a tenant there. She said while the application was not difficult, everything else proved to be.

One of her main challenges was securing funds to get the business off the ground. Once she received approval to open a store at Menly Mall, she had only two months to do so before the space would be passed to another tenant.

“I had applied for government grants and they obviously take a really long time to finalise. At that point, I ended up taking out a business loan to make sure things progressed as necessary.”

Dire also found it difficult to convince local cosmetic brands to believe in her concept and agree to have their products on display at Edenvinne. She said some of the business owners pulled out just days before the first store opened. “However, the most problematic thing was that as a woman in business, getting services such as fittings and plumbing for the store was a tough process because, unfortunately, the men I worked with didn’t take me seriously, and constantly undermined my instructions. It wasn’t until I had a male counterpart speak to them on my behalf that they took things more seriously and stuck to the deadlines they set.”

Despite all the issues, Dire successfully opened the store in Menlyn Mall in November 2022. “This was such a proud moment for me because I finally saw all the hard work come to fruition.”

A year after opening, she was approached by the Vukile Property Fund, the owners of Randburg Square, offering her a store at that mall as part of their Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programme.

As part of the agreement, for the first year Edenvinne would pay a lesser rental amount to allow the business to find its feet, which was extremely helpful, said Dire.

In May 2024, she opened her second store in Randburg, selling local brands such as Kool Crew, which produces deodorant for children. “This was a great opportunity and it allowed us to test the market with a different group of customers. In Menlyn, the clients are of a higher LSM and normally spend a lot more, so we had to find a way to appeal to a lower LSM in this location,” she said.

The business employs nine people permanently, and plans to grow have more in the future. With 105 different skin, body and haircare brands on their shelves, Dire said the business had exceeded expectations in the two years they've been operating.

Looking at the pricing in the store, she said they range from R100 to R350 — but they have a popular hair product that is more expensive. . “Our biggest selling product is a hair serum that goes for R900. It helps with growing your hairline, which is a bit of a problem for a lot of people these days. People love it and it sells.”

Dire has added services to their offering to include skin and hair consultations for clients.

Her long-term plan for the business is to open a store in every province, before “conquering the rest of the continent”.

“We are in the process of trying to get African brands to bring their products to our stores, so by the time we branch out to the continent, we already have brands we work with.”