Putting their own spin on the famous phrase from the 1984 movie Terminator, the traders at Dreyer Street Market say “We’ll be back”.
Located smack bang in the middle of Cavendish Square’s two premises in Claremont, Dreyer Street has been referred to as “the Golden Mile”.
Starting in July, the market will temporarily close for four months for an upgrade.
The history of the market dates back more than 40 years. To date, Sharon Rome, manager of the Claremont Traders Association (trading as Dreyer Street Market), has shared in 25 years of that history.
At present, about 40 vendors are trading in the space.
Sharon says, although they are concerned about how they will see through the next few months, they do believe the upgrade will be for the better in the long run.
“We want the public to be aware that we are selling out, we are having good prices, and we are definitely coming back. If we have a bumper two weeks ahead of us, that could tie people over for the four months,” says Sharon.
While details surrounding the upgrade are thin on the ground, People’s Post has been told that it will include the installation of lock-up-and-go units.
“So we’ll lock up in the evening and go which is a lot easier. Which means in the morning, you come and you just open up. Sometimes it can take up to two hours to set up a store. You can just open up and you can start trading straightaway. So that’s quite a nice benefit,” says Sharon, adding that there will also be 24/7 security as well as a cleaning service.
People’s Post visited the market last week Tuesday (13 June).
Even though it was raining heavily, shoppers were still seen browsing among the stalls.
Christie Rhoda, who manufactures and sells hand-made leather shoes, recently returned to the market after having been away for a few years. Customers can have their feet measured and shoes made to fit at his stall. The biggest pair of shoes he has yet made was a Size 17. He also does shoe repairs.
“I was just thinking, seeing that I make shoes, I can just as well do repairs. There are not that many shoe repairers in the area. Just to get business going.”
Rhoda, who lives in Retreat, says he has to load, transport and then unpack about 20 large containers of goods every day. He says he is both scared and excited about the upgrade.
“I hope I am in time for the new development. You don’t have to pack up. And as you can see the whole area is wet, although we are under a roof it is still unpleasant to work here so it will be very good.”
Amardien Iftigaar owns and manages the popular fruit and veg stall at the market. He says what makes his stall so popular is his prices.
“The most I charge for an item is R15. All the packets on the table, R10. Avos, tomatoes, pineapples, butternut. Everything is R10. Whatever you need, R10.”
Iftigaar says he too is excited about the upgrade.
“But yo, the next four months, that is the worry so far. I’m looking into the matter, where am I going to go for the next four months.”
Seamstresses Bernice Mavuela and Melody Mpate man the colourful Shweshwe dresses stand. They say they hope to continue the dressmaking and alteration service from their homes for the next four months. The stall stocks and uses material imported from Johannesburg, Congo, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
“We don’t know how it is going to be for us working from home, but we have started giving our numbers to our customers so people can contact us,” says Mavuela.
Sharon’s husband, Simon Rome, opened the E-Toy-Toy stand 25 years ago after he was retrenched from his audio engineer job. The stall sells popular toys at affordable prices. He says he looks forward to every day.
“I love being in the open, and I love interacting with the customers.”
As for the four-month hiatus, he says it is going to be a long stretch.
“But I will make a plan. I look at it like this. When I wake up in the morning and I am above ground, I am grateful to be alive, and I am fit and healthy, so I am not even going to think about the future. I do it day by day.”
People’s Post contacted Excellerate Real Estate Services, the Cavendish Square landlord, for information on the upgrade last week.
“Please be advised our marketing department is in the process of drafting a press release with regards to the Dreyer Street upgrade and will revert accordingly,” said Faizah Behardien, Cavendish Square Centre Manager.
