Shopping & Retail
Shops, boutiques, supermarkets, and retail stores.
African Cranberry (Cosmoo Coool's)
African cranberry concentrate, juice and tea products for immune support and detoxing; suitable from 18 months. Available from Water Trends SA.
Art Gallery Lakrit
Contemporary art gallery in Chintsa East that also hosts events on the premises, usually poetry mornings or similar with a French-inspired breakfast alongside. Worth checking what is scheduled before driving out, since the events rather than the hanging collection are often the reason to go.
Beacon Bay Retail Park
Retail park on Bonza Bay Road in Beacon Bay, with big-format stores and a supermarket anchor. Together with the surrounding strip it covers most of the day-to-day shopping for the northern suburbs.
Bell's Manufacturing Jewellers & Silver Shop
Manufacturing jeweller and silver shop in Vincent Park Centre, trading for 77 years. Pieces are made on site rather than bought in, diamonds are sold direct, and VAT refunds are handled for tourists. The manufacturing side means repairs, remodels and commissions are done in-house.
Blushing Berries
Chilled cranberry products, available at Pinecreek Restaurant & Farmstall.
CVD Art Gallery
Gallery and framer on Jarvis Road in Berea, with the entrance around the corner on Bexley Street. Custom framing and mirrors alongside original artworks, and a full art-materials counter that undercuts most of what else is available locally.
Emonti Natural Fresh Water
Water supplier distributing bulk water to shops, homes, commercial premises and events, along with purified still water, sparkling water and water dispensers. Operates from the King Street premises in Southernwood shared with EL Laundry and Pulchra Pellis Spa.
Fabulous Home Decor & Gifts & Tea Room
Home decor and gift shop with a tea room attached, at Status Centre on Chamberlain Road in Berea. Open 8am to 4:30pm on weekdays. Sourdough open sandwiches through the day, and a high tea that needs booking four days ahead. Pensioners Wednesdays are R65 for a scone with jam and cream, or a toasted sandwich and salad, with tea or coffee either way.
Finny Flipper Pet Shop
Pet shop at 21 Chamberlain Road in Berea, covering fish, small animals and the usual range for household pets, plus feed and tank equipment.
Frere Rd Emporium
Shopping centre / retail emporium on Frere Road.
Gillwell Mall
Shopping centre on the corner of Fleet Street and Gillwell Road in the CBD, serving the town centre and Quigney rather than the outer suburbs. Taxi ranks and the main bus routes are on the doorstep.
Hobby Crafts
Craft and hobby supplies across two branches. Shop 8 at Floradale Country Centre on the R102 in Beacon Bay, and Shop 9 at Crossways Village Centre on Schafli Road, East Coast Resorts. Between them they cover the coast road out of town, which is useful if you are already heading that way.
Kings Mall
Shopping centre in Gonubie and the main retail stop for the village and the coastal suburbs east of the river, saving the drive back into town for everyday shopping.
Lime Fusion Organic Living
Organic and zero-waste store at 3 Frere Road in Vincent, with an express branch now open at Crossways. Bring your own containers and refill from bulk: teas and chai, honey, spices, cocoa and raw cacao, dates, olive oil, seeds, ashwagandha, lions mane, moringa, neem, collagen, activated charcoal, Himalayan and desert salts, castor oil, diatomaceous earth, and household liquids including hand soap, dishwashing liquid and washing powder. Also organic produce, fermented foods and drinks, medicinal herbs and teas, and specialist breads. Thursdays are market days.
Mdantsane City Shopping Centre
Regional shopping centre on the corner of Billie Road and Qumza Highway, and the second largest in the Eastern Cape at roughly 36,000 square metres. Around a hundred retailers, with the tenant mix built around everyday shopping for Mdantsane rather than around destination retail, which is what makes it the practical alternative to driving into East London.
Nehema Curio Shop
Curio shop opposite the Gonubie Hotel and boardwalk, selling handmade African crafts such as clothing, jewellery, beadwork, sculptures, woodwork, masks and instruments. Open seven days a week, 8am to 5pm.
Open Garden & Nursery
Nursery specialising in bromeliads and air plants, run by Lyn and visited by appointment rather than as a walk-in garden centre. Worth calling ahead for anything specific, since stock is grown rather than bought in.
Second Nature Watersports
Watersports retailer on the corner of Currie and Bonanza in Quigney, stocking new and used gear: fluid kayaks, waveskis, surfskis, racing canoes and canoes, plus sand boards, boogie boards, paddles, accessories and spare parts. The second-hand side makes it a sensible first stop before buying new. They also sell honey.
Travel Gear
Luggage and handbag shop in Vincent Park Centre, stocking designer leather goods including the Jekyll and Hide range. The practical stop for a suitcase or a laptop bag without ordering online and waiting on a courier.
Ultra Liquors — East London
Liquor warehouse trading on volume rather than range presentation - wines, spirits and beer at case prices. A free-standing store on an arterial with its own fenced parking lot and a side entrance, so it takes a bulk shop for a function far better than a bottle store in a shopping centre would.
Vida Water
Purified water refill for home and business, with two outlets: The Hub in Beacon Bay and Epsom Road in Stirling. Water and ice are ozone-treated rather than just filtered, which is what keeps refills fresh for longer. Winter hours are 8am to 5:30pm on weekdays, shortening to 9am to 1pm on weekends and public holidays.
Vincent Park Shopping Centre
Community shopping centre on the corner of Devereux Avenue and Frere Road in Vincent: Pick n Pay, Dis-Chem, Cape Union Mart and a range of specialist shops, with a pharmacy, gym and optometrist in the same complex. Compact enough to park once and do several errands.
Yolo Play and Adventure Farm
Play and adventure farm offering school outings, birthday party hosting, a restaurant and kiosk, and a variety of animals. Also features a secure zipline and a shooting range.