Cape Town Shopping Secrets

Travellers often want to shop for souvenirs and mementos of their experiences, but so often there's an element of risk and anxiety in knowing where to go where you'll be safe, won't get ripped off, can find something special and the items will be authentic.

In Africa, the classic place to go is the market. However, in South Africa, curio markets for the most part have very little that is actually made locally. Most of the masks, bowls, fabrics, etc. that are wooden, mud cloth, kente cloth, etc. come from elsewhere. These markets are fun to walk through and souvenirs suit the buyer's taste, so I won't begrudge anyone their West African mask as a memento of South Africa!

In Cape Town, you can hit Greenmarket Square and on Sundays there is Greenpoint Market and the Hout Bay Craft Market.

Wire and bead and recycled-good craft is almost all South African. Buy a plastic bag chicken -- iconic SA craft item.

Good shops in Cape Town for "higher-end" craft and some jewellery that aren't selling schlock, kitsch or kak:

Heartworks (Gardens Centre and Kloof Street near Melissa's)

Africa Nova (Cape Quarter in De Waterkant)

African Image (Church Street pedestrian section, just off Greenmarket Square)

Golden Flowers (Khayelitsha)

Montebello (Newlands Avenue in Newlands)

The gift shops in the SA National Gallery and in the SA Museum are also good places to find quality treasures, but you might also come up empty -- worth a squizz though (both in the Company's Gardens). Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden also has a good gift shop at the lower entrance and a garden centre at the upper entrance.

A VERY popular and distinctively South African treasure is Carrol Boyes. The flagship store is in the V&A, but you'll find licensed stockists across town. Pewter and stainless steel cutlery, vases, etc. Also linked with Monkey Biz, one of the best beading collectives in the country.

You might also consider some amazing clothing items:

Sun Goddess in the V&A Mall

Mali South on Long Street and Longmarket Street

The best music store:

The African Music Store (on Long Street between Wale and Dorp)

The best (serious) book store:

Clarke's Books (on Long Street opposite Mama Africa restaurant)

The Exclusive Books at the V&A has good picture books and fiction selections

Serious contemporary art galleries:

Michael Stevenson Contemporary

Joao Ferreira

Bell-Roberts

AVA Gallery

There are many other galleries with varying quality and costing. At the above, you will find serious, high-quality art acknowledged as such by the international marketplace (and you will pay accordingly!)

Ceramics of quality and distinctive aesthetics can be found reliably at the Potter's Studio in Kalk Bay. It's a bit hard to find as it's just off the main road, but ask around and they'll tell you which side street to turn down. Otherwise, Kalk Bay shops are...well...let's just say most of them strike me as tourist traps.

A great item often overlooked or overpaid-for are Zulu baskets. You'll see them around once you start looking. They have designs not dissimilar from Hopi baskets in the US, but the shapes are very different. The best source (and pricing) is in KwaZulu-Natal near Hluhluwe -- Ilala Weavers. Fortunately, they're online (www.ilala.co.za) and will e-mail you pics and prices of their inventory and ship anywhere in the world reliably. I give them a big endorsement and have spent more money with them than I care to admit...

Of course then there's the wine, brandy, port and bubbly -- oh, and the diamonds, gold and tanzanite that are also quite popular, but I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding such items if they suit your taste and budget.