Last week I was invited by Clayton from I ♥ My Laundry (59 Buitengraght St, Heritage Square) to come and check out their very unique concept.

I told him it was actually a really cool coincidence that he contacted me cause I had driven past there just about two weeks before and saw people sitting outside sipping on some wine… I thought to myself “Hmmm… wine at a laundry?  Something’s fishy here… is this some kind of underground bar trying to masquerade as an innocent laundromat? Or some kind of top secret money laundering front?  OR…”  And just like that I totally let my imagination run wild with over the top ideas, mostly based on some great movie plots.  But I needed the low down, the skinny, the inside scoop… you know what I mean…. And this was my way in.

So as the name suggests, they do in fact do laundry (including dry cleaning, dyeing,  alterations & ironing) and for this purpose they are open from 7am to 7pm every day of the week.  BUT, that’s only a small part of what’s going down at this quirky venue.  I would describe it as a little “creative hub”.  A place for sharing ideas and trying new things.

During the day I ♥ My Laundry also functions as a cafe & dim sum bar.  Something special if you’re into sweet things (like me) is their chocolate & Coca cola cupcake, seen on the right  below:

I love Cola flavoured things… so this got my attention right off the bat.

It is also a beautiful space which you can rent for private functions for only R1000.  It seats 14 people and if you need food they will even assist with setting it up by chatting to your preferred restaurant of chef and organising a pop up kitchen for the evening.

THEN every Wed eve they do “laundry parties” where they do unusual food & drink pairings.  Like for example when I was there it was caramel vodka & fudge. Yum!  The vodka was Black Moon Caramel Vodka and I thought it was deliciously smooth and not too sweet.

The fudge was from Cape Fudge (trading as The Fudge Factory).  They sell mostly at markets, but will now be selling at I ♥ My Laundry as well.  I got to sample 3 flavours:  Amarula, Cappuccino & Champagne.

The Amarula (on the left above) was my favourite.  I love fudge!

Now while you are filling your belly, you can also “feed your eyes” with some beautiful art on display.  I ♥ My Laundry also runs an art exhibition initiative where they provide a showcase area for artists & creatives.  In store at the moment they have these incredible wood carvings by a guy who calls himself Von Dee:

He’s a “green artist” which means he doesn’t cut down trees for his pieces. He uses recycled wood or pieces of wood found on beaches, etc.

There’s also some photography by Naill Molloy.  A series of images from the school he attended as a boy which is now abandoned.  I really loved how each frame tells a story.  You can totally imagine what the school was like when it was still bustling with kids…

Priced at R2000 each

I also got to chat to very talented lady, Mandi Garbman.  Mandi is a professional artist, designer & illustrator and she had various things on display.  From her paintings, this one was my favourite:

And I really loved the little owl illustration in the middle below (cause I’m like owl crazy):

I was telling her how my mom used to believe that if an owl was found on your property it meant that someone in your family would pass away. Shame hey, that’s a bad rep for such a captivating little animal…

Most recently she also started designing her own fabrics and using them to make decor items like throw pillows and such:

Love the bright colours…  And a really cool thing to note is that she can custom design fabric for you.

** For more of her stuff you can check out her website, Unwrapped.

Then… as if the laundry, cafe, dim sum, food pairing parties & art wasn’t already enough… they also have a wine club called “I ♥ My Wine”.   They basically negotiate with about 15 wineries each week, sourcing a white & red option from each, and then the wine club members get to purchase these wines at cellar door prices without having to schlep out to the winelands.  Easy peasy.

So, want to join in on the action?  Check out their website or Facebook page for more info.  And to get your name on the guest list for one of their Wed eve parties, follow them on Twitter or Linked In – they announce the parties early every Thu morning, but there are only limited seats available to each event, so only the first few people from Twitter/Linked In to respond will secure a spot.  So get in there early and keep trying.

A huge thanks to Clayton for letting me crash last week’s party.  I really love this concept.  It’s fresh & fun and a must see.

xxx