Limpopo
Next to the busy workshop, a shop sells vivid wall hangings, cushion covers, tunics and table mats, designed here and embroidered by 1200 local Shangaan…
Must-see shopping in Southern Africa
Cape Town
At this co-op you'll find a rough-and-ready collection of start-ups, try outs and established traders, hawking a range of appealing items including…
Cape Town
If you’re after a full hide – cow, buffalo, antelope, zebra etc – head over to these savvy guys who’ve been catering to Cape Town’s leather trade since…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
Offering the buzzy feel of an art studio rather than a sterile gallery, Blue Planet is the seaside portfolio of artists Koos de Wet and Anastasia…
Cape Union Mart Adventure Centre
Green Point & Waterfront
This emporium is packed with backpacks, boots, clothing and practically everything else you might need for outdoor adventures, from a hike up Table…
Malawi
In this thatched workshop, single mothers and orphans handcraft a range of items using locally sourced materials, reflecting Likoma's colours and culture…
Cape Town
This small market is one of the projects of a worthy, nonprofit urban agriculture scheme that exists without a lease on prime city land. Food security…
Johannesburg
This hip social project fosters creativity, provides locals with jobs and recycles trash into fun souvenirs including bags, picture frames and cushion…
Cape Town
At the studio of Philippa Green and Ida-Elsje, you’ll find the work of two talented jewellery designers, both of whom have caught international attention…
Cape Town
At this handy, small shopping centre are several places to eat, fashion boutiques, the supermarket Woolworths and, upstairs, the health-food store and…
Cape Town
Easily spotted by the yellow traffic cones sticking out of its street-art-decorated facade, Art It Is offers a youthful and playful slant on the art…
Johannesburg
Fama Deli, hidden in the suburb of Lorentzville, is impossible to miss with its sign proclaiming: 'Bienvenidos a la Jamonopolis de Johanesburgo'. This…
Pemba
Pemba's most interesting market is in the Natite neighbourhood near where Avenida Marginal meets Avenida Eduardo Mondlane. It's a large, sprawling affair…
Lusaka
For those with a love of secondhand clothes shopping, absolutely don't miss this market in downtown Lusaka. Known locally as the salaula trade (a local…
Zambia
Mulberry Mongoose sells vibrant, funky jewellery made by local designers, but is best known for items made from snare wire recovered during anti-poaching…
Namibia
Opuwo’s brightly painted self-help curio shop sells local arts and crafts on consignment. You’ll find all sorts of Himba adornments smeared with ochre:…
Durban
This busy market, located at the western end of Bertha Mkhize St, is the hub of the Indian community. It offers a typically rip-roaring subcontinental…
Drakensberg Escarpment
This busy shop has contemporary crafts from beadwork and woven baskets to engraved ostrich eggs and make-up bags decorated with African proverbs. It's…
Lusaka
For high-quality leather goods, especially purses, travel bags and accessories, head to this spot, which shares an idyllic location with a highly…
Sunshine Coast
This cluster of surf shops, factory outlets and fashion shops offers pleasant browsing in modern, thatched buildings. Stores line Da Gama Rd south of St…
Cape Town
A big gun of the Jo’burg art world, the Goodman Gallery was one of the few to encourage artists of all races during apartheid. They represent luminaries…
Cape Town
With the Cape Quarter's original 20-year-old location undergoing a major renovation, the shopping mall action has moved over to the newer, larger block…
Lesotho
You can buy the work of 12 local cooperatives at this showroom and workshop, by the main road about 2km before Teyateyaneng (coming from Maseru). Items…
Harare
Harare, sleepy? Not in the hectic Mbare area where this infamous market has a heady mix of fresh produce and random goods. It's the curios that bring most…
Cape Town
Among the retail options to hunt out here are the second-hand bookshop Blank Books, the owner of which writes the local blog www.ilovewoodstock.co.za and…
Johannesburg
The southern hemisphere's largest bookshop is a curious affair. Some two million volumes and around half a million LP records and other collectables are…
Mpumalanga
In the century-old iron and steel works building, Pilgrim & Crown sells a range of crafts including Umjindi's stunning silver jewellery. Umjindi's…
Johannesburg
David Krut offers a wide selection of art books along with local fiction and non-fiction. Also an art gallery, it hosts regular exhibitions of local…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
One of several galleries at Imhoff Farm, Cape Town artists Marc Alexander and Donna McKellar's space exhibits their oil paintings and prints in a former…
Cape Town
Two Spanish girls are the creative team behind this women's espadrille-making operation. They have some styles already made up, but you can also create…
Cape Town
There's lots to choose from at this large monthly craft market spread across the commons outside Kirstenbosch. It’s possible to use a credit card to pay…
Cape Town
The brainchild of designer Keith Henning and Jody Paulsen, this stylish boutique stocks clothes such as shirts, shorts and trousers under the Adriaan…
Cape Town
The super-colourful ceramics of Clementina van der Walt take their inspiration from the geometric patterns of Zulu and Ndebele beadwork, and traditional…
Lusaka
A popular shopping stop for tourists, this open-air market comprises thatch-roofed huts and stalls selling carvings, baskets, masks, drums, fabrics and…
Cape Town
Balu Nivison's designs using original print fabrics are temptingly displayed in this chic boutique in one of the heritage cottages behind Cavendish Square…
Cape Town
Two fashion businesses share premises here: Missibaba, the brand of Capetonian designer Chloe Townsend, who hand-makes colourful bags, belts and other…
Cape Town
A large yellow banana sticking out of the shop front greets you at this surfboard and fashion store. All the colourful products are locally designed and…
West Coast & Swartland
Specialising in handmade toffees, Darling Sweet is a popular addition to the town's foodie scene. You can watch the toffee being made then indulge in a…
Ncumcara Community Forestry Craft Centre
Namibia
Very reasonably priced woodcarvings from a sustainable source are on offer at Ncumcara Community Forestry Craft Centre, a neighbourhood craft shop. The…
Damaraland
This arts-and-crafts outlet has some really good crafts, including some from local artists, alongside imported antiques from both Angola and the DRC. It’s…
