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Whether you're after designer clothes, the latest books or DVDs, high-quality African art, or glamorous gifts, Johannesburg offers outstanding shopping opportunities. In fact, many people, particularly from other African countries, come here with the express aim of shopping. Dozens of malls, galleries, and curio shops are scattered throughout the city, often selling the same goods at widely different prices. It's best to shop around.
Faan Smit Park on 4th Avenue has been converted into a landscaped urban space with 27 Boxes as its central feature. Stacked shipping containers (19ft x 6ft in size) make up this retail center, which contains 50-odd stores and eateries. From art, design, and décor to fashion and specialty gifts, you can find it all here—there’s even a craft gin distillery. Be sure to check out Krag Drag clothing for a retro South African souvenir that is hard to find elsewhere like T-shirts emblazoned with emblematic South African brand logos like Chappies bubblegum or clothes and accessories made from vibrant shweshwe fabric. Have a look at the website for details about their pop-up weekend markets and events, which regularly include a green market and a vegan market.
The dappled sunshine courtyards of this 1930s industrial block are lined with ateliers, galleries, family-owned cafés and restaurants, as well as one-of-a-kind stores. On the border of Melville, 44 Stanley is the kind of place where you can easily spend half the day—getting a custom T-shirt printed or a dress tailored, flipping through vinyls, picking out a limited edition print, choosing a holiday memento, or simply window shopping. It's also the newfound home of a few businesses that have relocated from Maboneng, such as the independent Bioscope cinema that screens independent documentaries and film festivals, and hosts live music performances as well as stand-up comedy. While there are many options to choose from for a bite to eat at 44 Stanley, the much-loved Little Addis Café is a must if you want to give authentic Ethiopian cuisine a try. There is free street-side parking with car guards directly outside this leafy lifestyle complex, an off-street parking lot (R10) on Owl Street, or in the underground parking lot at Stanley Studios vis-a-vis.
Art Africa brings together a dazzling selection of ethnic arts, crafts, and artifacts from across the continent and also sells funky items, such as tin lizards made from soda cans, wood-carved animals, and beaded keychains, that are produced in community empowerment projects, which uplift and benefit the craftsmen and their communities.
If you're into healthful living, visit the Bryanston Organic and Natural Market. More than 140 stalls feature artisanal, organic, and naturally sourced fresh produce. There's a dairy section, delicatessen and bakery, choice of five coffee shops, flowers, crafts in wood, leather, glass and metal, handmade clothes and shoes, and many other products clamoring for your clean-living attention.
The Chameleon Village is a lively African market with more than 200 vendors offering jewlery, home products, and artwork, as well as four restaurants with live music on weekends. There's also the Lion and Tiger Park (R100) and the Reptile and Snake Park (R100).
Charles Greig is a reputable jeweler with a long-standing record, and a reputation for excellence, making this shop a good choice if you wish to buy a special South African piece, such as a ring or necklace containing diamonds.
Established in 1913, the gallery is one of the oldest commercial art galleries in South Africa. The privately-owned gallery acts as an agent for several important South African and African artists and sculptors, and it specializes in modern and contemporary artworks, particularly wildlife paintings and sculpture.
The highly successful, five-plus-decade-old Goodman Gallery presents exciting monthly exhibitions by the stars of contemporary African and African diaspora art, including William Kentridge, David Goldblatt, Kudzanai Chiurai, and Sue Williamson. Its website also hosts online viewing rooms.
Mynhardts Diamonds sells diamonds and jewelry, and specializes in women's and men's rings, especially engagement and wedding rings. The company makes up the rings from loose stones on demand and even offers a 3-D rendering so you can see how your ring will look. An appointment is required.
The Rosebank Art and Craft Market, between the Rosebank Mall and The Zone, has a huge variety of African crafts from Cape to Cairo, all displayed to the background beat of traditional African music. Drive a hard bargain here—the vendors expect you to! If you want to save your shopping until the end of your trip, then this should be your destination. It's the best place in Jo'burg to buy African crafts, and it's an entertaining place to visit as well.
The Rosebank Sunday Market, in the parking lot on the rooftop of Rosebank Mall, has become a Sunday tradition in the city. Some 600 stalls sell African and Western crafts by local artisans, antiques, art, handmade clothing, trinkets, bric-a-brac and more. It's also a great place to fill your picnic basket, with tempting specialties from Greek wraps to Thai spring rolls, and gourmet cupcakes. African musicians, dancers, and other entertainers delight the crowds between the alleyways.
Schwartz Jewellers is a diamond wholesaler and manufacturing jeweler. It offers a large range of classical and ethnic African pieces and a custom-design service. You can also take a one-hour tour of its workshops in Sandton by appointment. You can see stone grading, diamond setting, and gold pouring, plus get tips on what to look for when buying diamonds, as well as a brief history of South Africa's diamond industry. And, of course, you can buy the finished product. Tours are free and include refreshments; you need your passport for security reasons.
The Welwitschia Country Market sells handmade arts and crafts, which make for great souvenirs, among other gifts and trinkets at around 40 shops and stalls in the shade of giant trees. There are three restaurants and a beer garden with live music on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It's especially bustling on weekends, as there is a children's playground area. There is ample free parking and you can find detailed directions on the website.
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