Lifestyle Now - Handmade in Knysna

Rebirth

Fire is a powerful and symbolic element of nature as it possesses a soul of destruction, renewal, and rebirth, yet it too is delicate and fragile like all living things. Knysna has an intrinsic link with fire, for the vegetation which surrounds the Garden Route town is reborn within fire, as the fynbos is stimulated by the natural cleanse to release seeds which birth life anew. That being said, Knysna too has gone through rebirth within fire as many residents can recall having lived through the hardships of the widespread 2017 fires which threatened to destroy the town itself, yet from such tragedy came stories of bravery and creativity.  

Hardship, much like any act of destruction breathes new life into existence, and thus the rebirth from the tragedies of Covid-19 will bloom into new growth. One such story of rebirth originates within Knysna’s Industrial area from a new start up by the name of “Lifestyle Now”.

During the throes of the Covid-19 lock down Melissa Erfmann and her mother found that much like most they were restricted to their homes with no way to work and hours of time on their hands. Melissa and her mother share the hobby of candle making and from this the idea was born to make natural fire starters with the excess wax from their home-made candles. This initiative organically grew into Lifestyle Now, a business led by Melissa, her mother and Anelize Groenewald which produces alternative natural fire starters and currently employs 15 crafts women from the local informal settlement. Their desire to create an environmentally friendly product led them into reclaiming natural waste and forming partnerships with various industries as well as exporting to the UK and the Netherlands.

The story of Lifestyle Now as it is known today perhaps truly began when Melissa came into contact with Sister Rose who runs a church within the local community. Sister Rose provided Lifestyle Now with a temporary facility to expand operations and recommended hard working locals who had been struggling to find employment. It became apparent to Melissa that there was a real need for help, stating, that when you see struggle and hardship how can you stand by and do nothing. She made it her goal to employ those in desperate need of shelter from the storms of life.

“I never needed a knight in shining armor, I only ever needed a sword”, motivated Melissa in her efforts to uplift all those that she can, stating, that there are so many people in need of a sword. She dreams of Lifestyle Now being a steppingstone towards developing skills for those who cannot afford a formal education. Lifestyle Now funds their outreach projects under the non-profit Lifestyle Tomorrow, which is currently involved in running a soup kitchen centered around providing a healthy breakfast for roughly fifty people from the local community. They are hoping to grow this initiative by partnering with local businesses in the Knysna community.    

We at Engel and Völkers Knysna are inspired by this rebirth from the hardship of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Please support and follow this remarkable initiative.  

Website: https://lifestylenow.co.za/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Lifestyle-Now/100064008816834/