Greenside Gems : The Majestic

Catherine Nixon : communication@gra.org.za

I had the pleasure of visiting a gem of Greenside today, The Majestic. The name sums it up. It was named after a movie about a cinema that nearly dies, and it conjures up a whimsical sense of nostalgia and tenacity to survive in our modern world. To not only survive, but to thrive. When a character gets asked why he is revamping the Majestic (a movie theater that had become derelict due to hard times) in the 2001 US period drama, he replies that he is doing so “because everybody loves the movies.”

We are fortunate to have this establishment in our neighbourhood, and meeting Henni Erasmus was a delightful way to pass some time, whilst my eyes kept wandering to his stocked shelves. It was hard to concentrate on the information he was giving me about the business, as I wanted to jump straight into the movies and get lost in an afternoon of contemplation and discovery. One of the founders, Henni Erasmus, started working in movie shops about 35 years ago, as a high school part-time job initially. A journey starting with when you hired reels and projectors, followed by Betamax, VHS and finally DVD. He established The Majestic with Niel Schoeman 11 years ago, and it is more than a store to rent movies, it is a community beacon which permits limited promotion of other shop’s activities and is a warm meeting place. They have a great collection of school setworks and one of the largest collections of SA movies in the country. Documentaries, classics, contemporary. You will find it all at The Majestic.

THE MAJESTIC : 34 Gleneagles Road, Greenside 011 486 3648 or 082 475 7933
They also facilitate block bookings for live shows, details in store.