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Gardens Centre is Cape Town City Bowl’s most popular shopping oasis. Built in the late 1970’s on historic Orange & Mill Streets, a stone’s throw from Cape Town’s17th Century provisioning hub, the Company Gardens, it is also one of the Peninsula’s oldest and most established shopping centres and is to many, as quintessentially Cape Town as Table Mountain.
The centre just off the centre
Uptown from the bustling CBD, Gardens Centre has long been the preferred haunt of citizens living and working in the city environs: a short hop over Kloof Nek for Atlantic Sea-Boarders; home-from-home local businesses; a quick, convenient stop on the way home for Southern Suburbanites and a recognised port of call for Cape Town visitors and tourists.
Not for the mall-minded
Though it has undergone a few major improvements and refurbishments over the past few years, the essential character of the centre remains the same. It continues to be a place to be and be seen; a modern, cosmopolitan café society; hang-out for the well-known and well-heeled and a quiet, convivial spot for the those who favour a more relaxed, personal shopping alternative to larger malls elsewhere in Cape Town.
One of a kind shopping
Most regular local customers (and many from further afield) visit the centre for the variety and uniqueness of its offerings. In days gone by, the famous Zerban’s Coffee Shop drew Cape Town city society for its warm, upmarket atmosphere and legendary food. Today Raith Gourmet (the only authentic German Deli in the Cape) and other specialist shops (like arts & crafts specialists, Le Papier du Port; party suppliers, Party Tricks and holistic health store, Health for Life) continue to attract customers from across the Peninsula in search of one-of-a-kind items.
Boutiques for highbrow-sing
Gardens is a “boutique shopping” experience, offering more “high-street” type offerings - from a tobacconist, chocolateur and bookshop to homeware, decor and gift shops selling top designer wares that regularly grace the pages of fashion & lifestyle magazines. Upmarket apparel, footwear, accessory and jewellery shops abound for the fashionista in search of the latest imports, top designer brands and exclusive style statements for men and women, older and younger.
Rare Necessities A-Z
Gardens Centre offers a comprehensive range of stores for daily essentials (served by major grocery chain stores such as Pick ‘n Pay, Woolworths Food and Clicks) as well as shops offering everything from kitchenware, DIY, hardware, and stationery to dry cleaning, tailors and business services (from cell phones, copy & print facilities, to a Computicket branch, forex bureau, travel and flight booking agent and major local banking.) Top professional service providers include an optometrist, pharmacy, general practitioner, dentist, attorney, beautician and hairdressers.
Where Café Society meets
One of the city’s favourite meeting places, the centre boasts 5 eateries - from a popular internet cafe to 3 coffee shops ideal for a quick business lunch, morning cappuccino or even a cigarette (Piccolo Café has a dedicated venue for smokers.) The centre also boasts an authentic North Indian restaurant and the well-known Decadents Delights barrow serves patisserie and other scrumptious tea-time goodies to go.
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