The Junk Shop Route
If you love to collect junk, then this is just the thing for you. Junk shops are really a little more than just collected “junk” – they are in fact the repository for a whole chunk of South African history which is so often overlooked by the fine antique collectors brigade on the lookout for yellow wood and fine bone china.
Plan a route that would unearth a treasure-trove.
The places you simply have to visit freshly out of Cape Town are Worcester, Victoria West, Kimberley, Petrusville which is close to the Orange River, Steynsburg (near Middelburg), then Cradock, and then back onto the R62. Try to avoid all the commercialism of the N2 and the Garden Route furniture shops – there are simply hundreds of other shops that you can browse through.
Plan your own junk shop route. The secret of your success lies in how flexible you are. Visit little guest houses along the way and strike conversations with the locals to find out a little more about places that are new to the neighbourhood. It is a treasure hunt and an exploration into small-town life, and is best done with a blank itinerary, an open mind and a huge smile plus a spirit that loves to rummage.
Worcester
In Worcester the town’s architecture is more Art Deco and has a history which is mid-century and modernistic. Worcester is perfect if you are looking to find that wonderful piece of furniture dating back to the last century – browse through Ian Gillespie’s AAA Furnishers which is at the bottom of Durban Road. The inside will enthrall, resembling a cosy cove that is akin to Aladdin’s Cave.
The shop has been there for the past 30 years and has survived through thick and thin, and has one room leading into another, offering sweet delights.
If you have the desire to be a refugee for a while from the busyness of city life, and have a yearning to see the horizon, then visiting other little spots such as Victoria West’s Anita Botes’ Kontant Winkel is the perfect place.
Plan your route and discover junk that everyone will admire. This way you will find treasures and see the horizon.
