Art & Craft shopping in South Africa
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Kirstenbosch Craft Market
Proceeds from this craft market go to the development fund for Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Mr Mather’s handmade wooden toys are worth looking out for.
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Old Biscuit Mill
Even if you don’t make it to Saturday’s Neighbourgoods market there are plenty of other good reasons for putting the Old Biscuit Mill towards the top of your to-do list. The converted biscuit factory is home to a fantastic collection of arts, craft, fashion and design shops. Apart from the pottery stores Clementina Ceramics and Imiso Ceramics, particular favourites include Love Africa, for colourful locally designed jewellery and fashion; a branch of the craft store Heartworks; ArtLab, where you can get new prints from the Tretchikoff collection; the rustic emporium Karoo Moon Country Store; Julestones for hand-crafted resin products; and the fantastic Mü & Me, the…
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Monkeybiz
You won’t miss this yellow building painted with red monkeys! Equally colourful beadwork products are found inside, all made by township women. The shop also stocks funky jewellery and gifts by other quirky Capetonian designers. Profits from the beadwork support the Monkeybiz Wellness Clinic for HIV/AIDS-affected women, held upstairs the same day women artists pack the street outside the head office to sell their beadwork – it’s a very lively scene. You’ll also find Monkeybiz products for sale at Carrol Boyes at the Waterfront.
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Montebello
This development project has helped several great craftspeople and designers along the way. In the leafy compound, check out the colourful bags made from recycled materials, the fashions of Mielie, and Thando Papers, started by Joseph Diliza who had the idea of turning invasive reeds from urban rivers into exclusive paper products. On weekdays you can visit several artists’ studios. There’s also a good café, the Gardener’s Cottage, and you can get your car washed.
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Monkeybiz Wellness Clinic
You won't miss this yellow building painted with red monkeys! Equally colourful beadwork products are found inside, all made by township women. The shop also stocks funky jewellery and gifts by other quirky Capetonian designers. Profits from the beadwork support the Monkeybiz Wellness Clinic for HIV/AIDS-affected women, held upstairs the same day women artists pack the street outside the head office to sell their beadwork – it's a very lively scene.
reviewed
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Streetwires
The motto is ‘anything you can dream up in wire we will build’. And if you visit this social project designed to uplift young blacks and coloureds to see the wire sculptors at work, you’ll see what that means! It stocks an amazing range, including working radios and chandeliers as well as artier products such as the Nguni Cow range, which you’ll also find sold at upmarket craft shops such as Africa Nova.
reviewed
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Waterfront Craft Market
Also known as the Blue Shed, this eclectic arts and crafts market, between Two Oceans Aquarium and Musica Megastore, harbours some great buys. Search out the colourful textile products of Ikamva Labantu; and Township Guitars, which makes and sells the all-electric township ‘blik’ guitars made from oil cans, wood and fishing wire (from R2900).
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Africa Nova
One of the most stylish and desirable collections of contemporary African textiles, arts and crafts. You’ll find potato-print fabrics made by women in Hout Bay, Karin Dando’s mosaic trophy heads, Jordaan’s handmade felt rock cushions (which look like giant pebbles) and a wonderful range of ceramics and jewellery.
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Ikamva Labantu
Wonderful fabric products, including stuffed animal toys, Nelson Mandela dolls (R180 and R225) and kids’ backpacks and clothes are made by the people with disabilities who are employed here. This is the factory shop and there’s also an outlet in the Red Shed Craft Workshop at the Waterfront.
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KEAG
Standing for Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group, this organisation is to be applauded for recycling plastic into colourful ornaments and fun jewellery. You’ll find their products sold elsewhere but this is where they are made and you can take a peek at the workshop and Imhoff Farm at the same time.
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Kalk Bay Modern
Upstairs from Olympia Café & Deli is this wonderful gallery stocked with an eclectic and appealing range of arts and crafts. There are often exhibitions by local artists showing here. Check out the collection of Ekoka print cloths, a fair-trade product made by the !Kung Bushmen in Namibia.
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Heartworks
Browse Heartworks’ varied range of crafts, including Wola Nani goods, Mielie bags made in Hout Bay, telephone-wire baskets from Natal, and Mustardseed and Moonshine ceramics. There are also branches in the Gardens Centre and at the Old Biscuit Mill.
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Wola Nani
Wola Nani, Xhosa (isiXhosa) for ‘we embrace and develop each other’, is an NGO that assists those infected with HIV and AIDS. Products on sale here (its head office), and at many other Cape Town craft shops include its label-covered picture frames and papier-mâché bowls.
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Iziko Lo Lwazi
What began as an adult literacy program has morphed into a craftwork collective producing creative recycled-paper products from, among other things, elephant, horse and camel dung! The Uxolo range of beaded cards is delightful. You can also see the work at the Hout Bay Craft Market.
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Rhubarb Room
Cute gifts – including linen, picture frames, storage boxes, and French and Italian women’s and children’s clothing – plus a café can be found in this Provence–meets–Cape Town boutique on the service street, overlooking the main Buitengracht St.
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Potter’s Shop & Studio
Jo’burger Chris Silverston started her pottery business back in 1986 and has since nurtured many talented Xhosa and coloured artists, such as Majolandile Dyalvane and Madoda Fani. Watch them at work in the studio in Muizenberg. Their products are sold all across the Cape.
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Red Rock Tribal
Join owner Juliette as she hula-hoops outside her quirky collection of crafts and African tribal artefacts. We like the rusty metal mugs used as a herb garden and the metal tortoises. Opposite is the giant metal zebra made for an advertisement by Harry Kentrotas and Jon Gong Alessandri.
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Artvark
This 'contemporary folk art gallery’ is one of the best places to look for attractive souvenirs in Kalk Bay. It stocks a wide range of interesting arts and crafts by local artists, including paintings, pottery and jewellery, as well as goods from India and Central America.
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African Art Factory
This partnership project of designers and craftspeople produces colourful ceramics, wireworks and other items within the old City Hospital grounds. An example is Luvuyo Nyathi who recycles tin drink cans and bottle tops into decorative flowers, picture frames, bags and boxes.
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Cape Originals
Stocking the beautiful ostrich eggshell–decorated accessories made by Avoova it’s based in Prince Albert in the Karoo. Each one is a unique piece. You’ll also find Masai bead work from Kenya here and a few other carefully selected crafts.
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Belle Ombre Antiques
Appealing Cape country antiques and African pieces, including wood carvings from Ethiopia and Namibia, are sold here. In a shady garden at the rear, you’ll find Brad’s Bistro, a rustic place for lunch or a snack while you’re doing the shopping rounds.
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Love Project
The charity shop undergoes an arty reboot at this laudable operation selling an appealing selection of decorative objects, gifts and clothing – all handmade and helping Cape Town’s disadvantaged. They have a Saturday market when the crafters show up.
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Blossom
Tucked away up an alley opposite the train station is this compact box of handcrafted decorative items from knitted jewellery and appliqué pillowcases to felt egg-cosies and rings made from buttons. They also host a couple of themed exhibitions each month.
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African Image
There’s a fab range of new and old crafts and artefacts at reasonable prices. You’ll find a lot of township crafts here, as well as wildly patterned shirts. Buy a can of Afro Coffee or Tea from Nzolo Café next door.
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Design Afrika
Weaving designs across Africa is Binky Newman’s slogan for this marvellous, hidden-away emporium of arts and crafts gathered from remote corners of the continent. Come for traditional fabrics, metalware, carved wood items and tribal artefacts.
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