Muizenberg Fleamarket — Local services in Muizenberg

It's Christmas time🎄& do you want to be in a sterile, air conditioned space where you have to buy 3 kinds of the one thing you want in a single quantity because your parsimonious button is being pushed by a special price.Oh those psychobabblers, hired by supermarkets to exploit & manipulate your present giving sensibilities when in your wildest dreams you would never eat one pkt. of mint flavoured pork crackling or courgette blossoms gently dusted with smk. paprika never mind 3 of said items! So whaddya do? How do you cope with Christmas turmoil,thespend, being a Scrooge or no? Clear your cobwebs, head up to the open air Market@Sunrise Circle & meet stall holders with ingenuity,passion & vision,for the most part filling a need as opposed to marketing a want. Wander the highways & byways of this friendly arena,fair play to the guys 'n gals who work the logistics. The interesting aspect of this market to me lies in the real diversity of offerings, you can scrummage in hardware bins to escape the uniformity of one design only taps, Ifan & Quanita offer phone accessories,pick up a fake phone from Rafiek to foil cunning muggers,taste & buy homemade onion marmalade from Craig,have an indepth chat with Larnae about skincare & her handmade soaps,get a balm from Indonesia with a 100 yr pedigree... but then you have household cares, not to worry-Nazzy has socks galore, in every permutation,even for your Llamas(& history as she has been a marketeer for 20 yrs)and Amelia & Eugene call the shots on bedding /household linen. Cleaning fluids abound, kidz & adult wear as well, the thing is many of these clothes have been designed & made by the people manning the stalls, who are glad to have a chat about their work, err if you want kitschy stuff Cailín & Ma do their thing. Plants are looking good, rare Chrysantheums available, Michelle & Dominic do succulents. The Rastas' walking the talk will fill the curious in about the properties of indigenous herbs. If you are a newbie knitter, how cool is it to meet Shahnazz an experienced knitter who sells wool. And if you have a family member who has an eye for the path less travelled, the coolility of giant crochet backpacks & handbags range by Aziza could spark interest, she also sells t-shirt yarn! Have young children?@ Sunrise Circle, Wendy(another stall holder who holds history)runs a 2nd hand toy stall with humour & total understanding of the exuberance and big energy of young people and how yes they do need to touch things, whereas the older peeps can read and check out the wide range of board games, a lot of us are ok with being anthropological curiosities😉 Oh the food🎉paaper bites made fresh on the day, with Samoosas to match, Mariam's Koeksuster's and a lady who makes Romany Creamz(chocolate)that will have you understanding why shelf life chemicals and chocolate flavoured sugar can't cut the mustard! There is always a vegan in the family and the vegan Turkish Delight is impressive🤩(take some home and dip in dark chocolate for fabbiness),so are the the leather goods though🤪 And get this, if you don't want to be the captive audience of #shoppin'tilldroppin' relatives but participation on the day is required you can wave gaily at them as you get your eyebrows done(there is a queue so book a slot),have a T'ai Chi Chuan lesson(buy a gift voucher for a friend), a massage(Shiatsu and Tui Na varieties on offer)or a spot of Relexology, the ways are infinite♾ Fatima & Wayiba, a mum/daughter team illustrate the entreprenurial ingenuity of South Africans in general-they offer elegantly designed dolls house furniture & diorama's, the upholstery is gorgeous, they receive orders for custom pieces- The big take away here is support people who operate in the small economy whether partially or full time as they through necessity and real life obstacles are the drivers of effective solutions, the inculcators of neighbourliness and honest to God commerce that has spotted a gap and fills it🤓 Ps apologies to potential name mangling via...

2025 July Always bargains to be found, but just socialising with the vendors is fun. Always bargains to be found.

2018 My regular haunt after a Sunday morning hike. Depending on the time, either koeksisters and coffee for breakfast, or a boerewors roll with chips all from Tougiedas.

Depending on the time, perhaps a portion of calamari, hake, and chips for home. Dried fruit or nuts from Mr Varachia, vitamins and cosmetic stuff from Mr Brice. And a chat with Osman to get some popcorn to take home.

So many regular stall holders to go great as I've bought from them for years and with whom I've developed a relationship.

A cosmopolitan group as I can chat to the Afghani stall holder and get the latest true news from that country. India, Pakistan, Senegal, Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and so many other countries are represented.

With all the bargains and good prices, I rarely buy elsewhere. From clothes to household items to "junk," a worthwhile place to shop chill or have a meal. I have to stop by Adenaan who sells "Junk" as often there are treasures to be found, or to the old auntie who will keep coca cola items for me - her husband sells all vinyl records and cuts keys.

There, one can get the freshest sour figs and...

Expect a crowd always. LOTS of locals offering local prices and offering real bargains. It's not an upmarket indoor market like the latest trending markets with long tables in the middle of all the stalls etc, but also not selling goods on the street paving like in townships. There are "chancers" trying to "sell on face value" as in they increase their price if you look wealthy or white and if they want to make it look as if they "ill give you the best deal at cost price" sales people. So do thorough research if buying a big or expensive product. I often find three stalls same product but different prices but on the whole, there are long standing stalls from people trading there since 1980 something , and as a local I'm Muizenberg, I only go to certain shops as I know the market by heart but there's always something new and cheap to buy. Parking is still a problem and has always been. Toilets now seem used more and it looks like it's at least being unlocked and for...