Bay Harbour – The Market, Hout Bay


An unusual encounter on a market - yet, an expression of the phantasy and vision of a handful of people who turned an industrial place into a living space for people to enjoy.

Globalized marketing has made shopping easy but has also taken the fun out of it. The loss of individuality is the price paid for convenience. You can pick and choose virtually anything anytime anywhere at your leisure from supermarket shelves. Humans do, however, need to have that casual social interaction – something that till operators can hardly provide. And that is where markets have a place in communities such as Cape Town, Stellenbosch and now Hout Bay – bringing fun back into shopping.

A typical French weekend market, here in Tourette-sur-Loup near Grasse.

Well, not exactly. These new “markets” must not be compared with the old-fashioned ones still so very common in France and much loved by tourists. Bay Harbour Market serves different needs. A fish processing plant was turned into a social space to serve the community at large. A re-birth of community spirit through community projects and products, that is what we experienced as core element of this space when we visited it yesterday.

Faces of South Africa. Having prepared rosterbrood and halaal breedies.
Zoë & Dave Brocklebank's smithy from "Rust and Roses" - very much part of the market and cornerstone of turning the industrial elements into aesthetically pleasing works of art.
Integrating the industrial - pipes from a fish processing plant - into ...
... something ... pleasing ...
... and giving it a newly defined commercial ...
... habitable ...
... sociable ...
... and aesthetically pleasing functionality.
Approach road to the market - entrance on the right.
Very much on the seaward end of the harbour. Here looking back toward Hout Bay.
This is how we were greeted on entering ...
The Rastafarian component.
Industriousness of a different kind ... pilchards where processed here ... before
shapes, colours, beads, heads … all counted … 
... celebrating tea ...

... from China with love ...

… free-range flame roasted … 
... or sunshine organic ...
... inviting ...
... an open hearted beautiful space ...
... with a peaceful mind ...



... on the home run.
... and a joyful spirit ...
Dave Brocklebank from "Rust and Roses" - one of the initiators - a gentle giant, blacksmithing things into shape.

An old factory space, creatively adapted to serve the community of the Cape at large and the traditional fishing community of Hout Bay in particular – bringing together the spirit of fresh enterprise, of good commercial sense and community feel – for all to enjoy and eventually to profit from.

With love
Walter & Colleen
Betty’s Bay, Sunday 17 July 2011