Shopping

Where is the best place to find authentic SA crafts and products?

Comments

  • In Capetown, the Watershed was a good place to shop.

  • Yes, definitely the Watershed. For more generic gifts, the airport is good.

  • I strongly recommend Tribal Trends on Long Street in downtown Capetown. Your hotel can arrange transportation. Check out their website. It is very authentic and has a lovely selection of goods.

  • Strongly agree with Tribal Trends. Also there is a nearby market ((the ‘Green Market’) that has wonderful local handicrafts.

  • edited September 20

    In the Victoria and Albert waterfront -- Aafricaa store. Has curated contemporary Africa designs. Telephone wire baskets are unique.

    For high quality upscale handcrafted exotic leathergoods (handbags and accessories, belts and wallets)-- Cape Cobra Leathercraft 43 Bree St (downtown -- boutique showroom) "Local artisans craft each piece in the heart of CapeTown using the finest quality sustainable exotic skins, including Nile Crocodile, Ostrich and Python." We originally were referred here by the concierge at the Cape Grace hotel many years ago. Available option is to have Cape Cobra ship to the USA (Fedex delivery) Having a purchase delivered to USA avoids VAT and VAT refund, and performs the customs clearance for the farmed crocodile documented (ostrich is ok to bring into USA). I have a wallet and belt. www.capecobra.com Alternative, some stores at V & A waterfront, have leather goods.
    Note: Aafricaa store has some smaller leather items from Cape Cobra such as keyrings, moneyclips, wallets. We were referred to the Aafricaa store during our visit to CapeCobra showroom.

  • Can anyone recommend a store to purchase tins of pate? I have bought ostrich, kudu, impala pate and have seen zebra, crocodile pate too. Really hope to buy some for dear friends who are from South Africa and Zimbabwe plus a neighbor and myself! This would be in Cape Town

  • You can try going into a food market or email the concierge of your hotel to inquire.

  • Biltong warning - we bought a few kinds of biltong in SA to bring home. It was seized by customs in Atlanta when we arrived in the US as not permitted in the US at this time. They didn't say why, except that it was a meat producer. So that was a waste of money.

  • Fresh meat fruit and cheese products are not allowed into the US butthey can be in cans. For instance, we brought in sardines last trip. British people are often questioned about if they have brought in any bacon because we don’t care for American style bacon. Expats have been know to try to smuggle it in. We often see the sniffer dogs at Philly airport. There was a dog being trained when we came back from Philly in the summer. Its handler asked my daughter if she could place an apple in her bag to see if he could detect it. I didn’t see any of this happening until the dog came and sniffed and sat by her bag, it freaked me out. We’ve seen people taken away when they have had banned production before. I mainly bring a British chocolate back when I travel from countries who stock it. Nothing better than Cadburys or good Swiss or Belgian 😀
    Suggest checking with Amazon to see if you can find pate. Our local supermarket, Wegmans, sells pate. I made pate after attending a cooking class in my twenties and it was delicious, never since. I’ve been known to buy several food items from Amazon I can’t find locally like pickled walnuts and salsa Lizano. Good luck!

  • I have bought pate through Amazon twice it was very good.

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