All of you who love markets as much as I do (beats trawling the supermarket aisles any day, wouldn’t you say?) will be glad to hear about the Novalis Spring Market.

This new market makes its debut on the 20th of September 2008 at the Novalis Institute in Wynberg (Rosmead Avenue).

Now, there are already quite a few markets about, but here’s what potentially makes this one stand out:

• indoor venue – so no weather-dependency issues!
• live drumming (whether this is participatory or not, remains to be seen)
• yoga classes (and massage therapists)
• child minders (so you can browse with both eyes, instead of half of one)
• wheelchair access throughout the building
• inside toilets
• plenty of secure parking

Here’s what organisers have to say about the upcoming launch of the spring market:

With the rising costs of food and commodities, there’s never been a more relevant time for Cape Town to have a break away from the fast-paced lifestyle which becomes overbearing at times…  Over the past few years we have visited many markets, the majority of which we’ve found were missing a few key elements.  They were either too specific, lacked organisation, had a cover charge, or didn’t have any form of entertainment value.

Our vision is to provide a venue where people can feel comfortable, with peace of mind, whilst simultaneously giving them a variety of products to choose from at satisfactory prices.

The entertainment on offer adds a touch of difference, making this market experience one of a kind.  A place where people can come to shop, have their kids taken care of whilst having a relaxing massage… ending the day off with a hearty meal and refreshments.

Well, with so much competition from other markets, it will be interesting to see whether the Spring Market really can provide something that the others can’t.  I do think they’re on to something, though, and will definitely be checking it out on the 20th.

In any case, it’s great to have more and more access to local produce and local talent – and the more markets we have, the greater the chances of one being nearby (meaning little or no driving required, which costs us – and the earth – much less).

The first Novalis Spring Market takes place on Saturday 20 September 2008 at the Novalis Institute (39a Rosmead Avenue, Wynberg).  10am to 4pm.  Interested vendors can contact Jeremy at smi_events@yahoo.com.

DISCLAIMER: Please use any event information as a guide only. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy thereof, things do change – and the best way to make sure something is definitely on is to contact the event organisers themselves. Full bells’n'whistles disclaimer here.