The Covid-19 enforced prohibition on all live events presented SA’s best-loved artisan market platform with a tough challenge…
Says Creative CEO, Wanda Du Toit: ‘Our choice was simple: to give up, close our doors and walk away from the hundreds of SME artisans who have come to depend on our platform for a big part of their livelihoods? Or to fight back with every ounce of our entrepreneurial energy?’
KAMERS/Makers chose to fight: their committed team working without pay to launch their Cape Town and Jozi events in the online space, upgrading and innovating their online shopping platform. They then looked at SA’s transformed business landscape – they could not afford to wait for Level 1 (when the live shows would once again be permitted).
With traditional retail taking a Covid-pounding, especially in Malls, vacant spaces have been popping up in most major shopping precincts across the country – and now… so will KAMERS/Makers!
Local retail has been unchanged for decades – long-leases, fixed spaces and equally fixed ideas. KAMERS/Makers SPACE is a fast and fluid collective of SA’s finest Makers – carefully curated to pop-up (and down!) in any empty retail space, in just a few days.
It offers shoppers a brave new hybrid of the convenience of an everyday, local outlet in the ‘old retail’ mode, but now combined with the vibrant, eclectic mix of amazing products that only KAMERS/Makers can offer.
Where their live events would concentrate a vast variety of Makers for just a few days, drawing large crowds of dedicated followers (problematic under current conditions), KAMERS/Makers SPACE focuses on about fifty ‘best of the best’ Makers – in residence for a longer period… from 1- 3 months. Variety is served by simply changing the Maker Mix week on week.
It’s the best of both worlds for KAMERS/Makers devotees! Plenty of time to shop at their convenience over weeks and months, and the constantly changing, vibrant variety that has made KAMERS/Makers so immensely popular over two decades.
The first KAMERS/Makers space will open in Stellenbosch on 22 June 2020 in Plein Street (right next to PostNet in the old Ocean Basket space). Opening hours: From Monday – Friday 9 – 3pm and Saturdays 9 – 1pm.
