Cape Town’s hip and happening-ness is best personified through its vast menagerie of markets. These markets personify the melting pot of; cultures, races and people of all ages that has come to characterize the ‘new’ South Africa. Capetoninans themselves have mixed feelings due to the touristy razzmatazz that can be associated with the Hout Bay market, or the overwhelming hipster presence at the Old Biscuit Mill. The fact remains that Capetonian and ‘market’ are practically synonymous. Whether the Hout Bay market’s scenic views and vintage jewelry collection does it for you, or the Greenmarket Square’s array of authentic African woodcarvings, sculptures and saris is your first choice. Everyone and I mean everyone living in Cape Town, new to Cape Town or simply visiting the Mother City has made their way into the ever-gentrified Woodstock area to visit the Old Biscuit Mill and the various markets that it has to offer.
The market structure within the Ol’ Biscuit Mill is quite fragmented. As soon as you arrive through the gates, various aromas from fried prawn, waffle mix, rich curry spices and the chaotic mixture of crowd chatter and noisy blenders, blending healthy smoothies and other delights, permeates through the air. The source- The Neighbourgoods Market, situated on the right-hand side of the property. The mixture of eclectic food stalls creates a vibrant hum as people fork out large wads of cash for overpriced yet delicious morsels of food. The seasoned campaigners of the market move through with swift efficiency and the usual standoffish Cape Town personality that you can smell a mile off. Even when it comes to payment they have maximized efficiency. Whilst you scrounge around in your wallet, embarrassingly apologizing to the growing line behind you, the seasoned campaigner sidesteps to the front of the line and pays using their SnapScan app, smirking all the while through- which isn’t long, the app is super efficient. But I digress.
Some of the fresh produce on display from the Neighbourgoods Market (photo by the author).
The other half of the market, whilst less noisy and overcrowded, is filled with all sorts of fashion, ranging from second hand vintage clothing, to handcrafted shoes and watches. Don’t be fooled by the second hand clothing as it still fetches a mean price. Here the Cape Town cool kids compare looks and outfits of the day in between mismatched clothes rails. All the while, tourists “ooh and aah” over the African printed blazers and bomber jackets, seemingly in awe of the amalgamated European and African styles.
Typically one would be able to make it through a good two hours of food and shopping before calling it a day. This is when the moral dilemma sits in. After exiting the Biscuit Mill, you are confronted with beggars, homeless individuals and street children- all campaigning for two seconds of your time and money, not all that different from what you experienced in the market a few minutes ago. Guilt immediately makes its way through your body as you recall spending R70 on a smoothie, not to forget the R500 spent on clothes. And that in reality is Woodstock. On the one hand massive wealth and opulence move through the market, on the other you have kids and adults struggling to make it through the day- suffering a few meters from the market.
The irony of the market is clear from their website: “Welcome to the Old Biscuit Mill. A vibrant, warm-hearted little village in the heart of Woodstock where talented people come together to share, collaborate and well… show off the heart-felt passion.” While it can be agreed that the Old Biscuit Mill is a fantastic creative outlet the poor are restricted from it. Liesel Trautman, an entrepreneur that has enjoyed great success in the “Neighbourgoods Market” attributes this largely to a specific look that the organizers of the event are looking for. “I don’t think there are restrictions based on race or cash- if your brand is good they will welcome you. But I can see if your race and culture is not used to the certain brand that the organizers are used to, they could be issues,” this she also says with a stoic nature, firmly believing everything she says.
There is also the great deal of gentrification that comes to the fore when discussing Woodstock. The Old Biscuit Mill has on several occasions been accused of polarizing the gentrification process. On that Trautman adds, “ I would definitely say that the Biscuit Mill has benefited from the location rather than the local people benefitting from the market.” The Old Biscuit Mill highlights the pros and cons of gentrification. The fact that the market is great for tourism and certain creatives is clear. The way it also creates homelessness and poverty through gentrification is also transparent, making it a conundrum with no easy fix.
As previously mentioned, there is no dismissing the cultural significance that the market possesses. However, the abject poverty that surrounds the market is yet to be tackled in terms of job creation through the market. If this were to be done, the Old Biscuit Mill would be able to not only frontier and revolutionize markets, but also grow a social consciousness that is needed now more than ever, towards those living in poverty.
Scroll down to watch a short feature video and interview with Liesel Trautman.
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