Shopping
There are so many shops to explore in Cape Town that you'd find it impossible to get through them all in one trip. This place rivals many top European cities for fashion, South African artists and products are proudly featured in lifestyle and home shops, and you can find curios from all over Africa. There are shopping malls, indoor and outdoor markets, boutique shops and quaint shopping areas.
You just have to determine your shopping goals and then devise the best plan of action to get the best our of your Cape Town shopping experience!
Use this Cape Town Shopping Guide to gain some local insight into interesting shops and markets to browse around in. Details of these are listed below for your benefit. More general information about shopping in South African can be found in our South African Shopping Guide. And don't forget to treat your tastebuds as well, in some of the fantastic Cape Town Restaurants.
South African Shopping
Craft Markets
Church Street Antique Market (Church Street, City Centre)
Open: 9am-4pm Mon-Sat
No credit cards. A handful of informal table stalls with antiques and odds and ends.
Constantia Craft Market (Alphen Centre, Main Road, Constantia)
Open: 10am-3pm first weekend and last Saturday of each month.
No credit cards. A popular market of stallholders with various wares, especially plants, ceramics and handcrafted wood items.
Greenmarket Square (Corner Shortmarket and Berg streets, City Centre)
Open: 9am-4pm Mon-Sat.
No credit cards. Central tourist market with African crafts and curios, clothing, jewellry, etc.
Green Point Flea Market (Green Point Stadium)
Open: 8:30am-6pm Sun and most public holidays.
No credit cards. African crafts and curios, plastic household goods, etc.
Holistic Lifesyle Fair (Recreation Centre, Corner Station and Lower Mian roads, Observatory) Open: 10am-4pm first Sunday of each month.
No credit cards. Alternative theapies, health food and a general “feel-good” zone.
Hout Bay Craft Market (Hout Bay Village Green, Hout Bay)
Open: 10am-5pm every Sunday.
No credit cards. Original crafts, food and household items.
Kirstenbosch Craft Market (The Stone Cottages, Rhodes Drive)
Open: 9am-1pm last Sunday of each month Jan-May, Sep-Nov; 2nd and 3rd Sat in December.
No credit cards. Good family market, wooden toys, original crafts.
Milnerton Flea Market (Racecourse Road, Milnerton)
Open: 7am-5pm Sat, Sun.
No credit cards. Flea market style with loads of chance to find junk as well as kitchy items from the old days.
Somerset West Country Craft Market (180 Main Road, Somerset West)
Open: 8am-1pm Sept 24; Oct 16, 30; Nov 13, 27; Dec 4,11,16,18.
No credit cards. Huge park-like space with hundreds of stalls of handiwork and original crafts.
South African Crafts
Travel Guide to South African Craft Sites
Eskom Due-South Craft Route Project -
See http://www.duesouthcraftroute.co.za/" look through the Western Cape sites.
Things to Remember
VAT (Value Added Tax) is set at 14% . Visitors to South Africa are not exempted from paying tax on purchases, but you can claim it back if the total value of the item exceeds R250. This can be claimed back at airports, various harbours & customs offices. The tax invoice and your passport is required. The items that were purchased must also be presented. This charge will not be applied at the markets.
Shopping Places
Golden's Flowers
Golden is a man who decided to take his future in is his own hands, by making beautiful flowers out of cans. He has an amazing story and his artwork is fabulous. You can meet Golden in his workshop and watch him at work.
He has a brightly coloured workshop in the heart of the Khayelitsha Township filled with daisies, roses, massive sunflowers, and more flowers...all made from aluminum cans and all for sale, from R15 for a small daisy to R40 for a 30cm hand painted sunflower.
Golden decided to make flowers from cans when he found himself unemployed, while he had an entire family that depended on him. Over the years, due to the increase of township tourists, Golden’s business grew considerably. With his artwork, Golden also contributes to Khayelitsha in two ways: to both the waste problem, and to poverty in his community by paying the children for the cans they bring to him.
Children also help him with some of the painting of his flowers. His story is printed on card and handed out with every purchase.
Malandalahla Cresent, Makhasa
Visitors can also enquire about visiting Golden from the Khayelitsha Tourism Information Office.
+27 (0) 21 365 2226 (Pumla, his wife's work number)
Imhoff Farm
Imhoff Farm combines a historical and nature sanctuary with family entertainment and shopping. Today the homestead is a restaurant while the stables, silo, smithy, slave quarters and milking sheds are occupied by local artists and interesting craft, furniture, junk and food shops.
The present owners are committed to maintaining the "country farm" atmosphere, providing an excellent "one stop" venue for visitors to the Cape Point Route. There is also horse and donkey riding adventures available here.
Going south from Cape Town, take Chapman's Peak Drive or Ou Kaapse Weg. Pass Noordhoek and Longbeach Mall. Continue south towards Kommetjie. You will find Imhoff Farm at the traffic lights across the road from Ocean View.
021 783 4545
info@imhofffarm.co.za
http://www.naturefarm.co.za/
African Image
City Centre, Corner of Church & Burg Street
There is another shop at the VA Waterfront Shopping Centre
+27 21 423 8385
contact@african-image.co.za
