Like most places this side of Table Mountain, in Cape Town’s ‘deep south’, lights are out by 10pm latest with no chance of a late-night cappuccino or meal barring Kalk Bay. But not on this little corner of Muizenberg. Someone got clever and decided to leave the lights on, liven it up with music, add a few good choices of food, designers, a bar, tables and before you know it, you have a vibrant market False Bay side where people can chill, shop and socialise on a Friday Night.
It won’t take you long to find the entrance to the market with ‘Kitch-Kombuis Coffee station’ on the side, as cars will be lining the pavements beside the railway crossing. Once you pass the fruit vendors and rustic photo frames at the entrance, you enter a lively atmosphere with food sold on the left and non-edibles on the right. Beautiful, vintage surfboards hang from the rooftops above the pizza vendors and cake stands. Tables of people gather in the middle of this warehouse with decorations of flowers in glass bottles hang above their heads and adorn tables.
Even when ravenous, it will take you a while to decide on what to eat. Pizza, prego rolls, Leila’s Indian cuisine, Egyptian and stew stalls line up against the wall, their warm aromas beckoning you to come their way. And that’s aside from the biltong, pastes, custard tarts, toffee cupcakes wetting your appetite. A prego roll will cost you R50 and a spicy chai tea R15, each proving to be well worth the bucks.
If you don’t get there at 7pm, you may find it tough to grab a table. Luckily we found two spare seats right beside the kid’s corner. Little people clambered up the side of a mini-house, others painted squiggles of dark green with laser focus and some handed out arm bracelets. I have no doubt that parents treasure this section of the market the most.
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| the pink pincushion |
Next it was time to peruse through the designer aisle. Susan’s ‘the pink pincushion’ uniquely designed and stitched handbags hung on coats stands and old shutters. Some resembled a spring garden, others a passport & travel memo with fabric made of stamps. The eco-friendly bamboo wall decor was shapes of Africa, Proteas and a TV with a mirror as the screen. Next came hand-crafted jewellery; one of my favourite things. Natasha Wood (www.natashawoodjewellery.co.za) fused of wood with silver/gold in her necklaces whilst Peta-Jane Sinclair’s ‘Smoke Rises Blue’ designs (www.smokerisesblue.com) included chunky silver rings and delicate, floral cuffs to pair with stunning evening dresses.
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| Peta-Jane Sinclair’s ‘Smoke Rises Blue’ designs |
‘Like Clockwork’ necklaces are the masterpieces of Samantha Taverner who, as the name suggests, uses bits of old watches to create her designs. Stephanie Anne LoveJoy (www.lovejoyjewellery) from Australia told me how she collected odds and ends from all around the world to create her vintage inspired designs. From her colourful hair clips to her elaborate, yet delicate rings, she creates as she goes along and is lucky enough to live in Melbourne and Cape Town. Her Aussie friend, Athene Stephanou-Knemeyer, hung her pretty ‘Afrodite’ clothing designs on rails and in a retro suitcase. Beneath her huge mirror, were the letters A F R O D I T E, spelt in wooden letters on the floor. (http://www.afrodite.co.za/)
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| LoveJoy Jewellry |
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| Aphrodite Designs |
I reminded myself to come back to the book stall for their bold, colourful posters of superheroes. On the way out, we passed an old bicycle that Vaughan thought looked Dutch and left with a scrumptious custard tart and toffee cupcake for dessert. What little gems, we can find if we just explore unexpected places on a Friday Night in Cape Town.
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| The Book stall |
