All of us know that “Teddy bears aren’t just toys; they’re companions on life’s journey.”[i] Therefore, good to know there’s a man around who’s spent his life in the company of bears—making and repairing them.
It all started when Nicky Roberts couldn’t find the right teddy bear for his godchild: one with some chutzpah and character. Demeanour too was important, such as, ‘Yes, I’ll listen to all your secrets and never breathe a word.’ So it came to be that he took up needle and thread, armed only with a pattern from Eunice Beaton of Durban. With the foresight of a seasoned prophet, Eunice had scrawled across the top, “Bear making is habit-forming.” And she wasn’t wrong.
His godmother, the famed Linda of London, opened the Mount Nelson’s shop doors to his plushies, thereby elevating them to heirloom status. Nicky’s creations, many born from discarded fur coats procured at Johannesburg’s Oriental Plaza, now populate mantels, nurseries and cabinets across the globe. Some sit in Paris apartments looking faintly superior; others prop up pillows in swish guesthouses.
Living in rural bliss near Koringberg, Nicky continues his singular mission: ensuring no child, anywhere, has to hug a bear without personality, or restoring a battered bear to royal beardom.
Now, “If you go down to the Swartland today, You’re sure of a big surprise, For every bear that ever there was, Will gather there for certain.”[ii]
To order or have a bear restored, phone Nicky: 083 6430043
[i] Oliver Green
[ii] With apologies to Jimmy Kennedy, ‘The Teddy Bears’ Picnic
