210 on Long

Översikt

Cape Town's latest shopping experience, a synthesis of Long street style and sustainable retail has opened and shoppers are invited to experience sophisticated green shopping without the tye-die touch. As more people choose to turn their environmental ethics into action, 210 on long offers an innovative, vibrant experience for conscious retailers and consumers, in Cape Town's creative heart.

The run down Baobab Mall has been lovingly recycled, using eco-friendly building techniques wherever possible, from the bricks to the paint, cement, timber and finishings. The result is a bright, elegant shopping mall with more than 15 varied retailers all with a large percentage of their products respecting the people and materials that create the things we like to buy. Miki Clark, one of the owners, said: “We've used as many eco-friendly products while building as possible, and we've invited stores to open up in here that have the same sustainable ethics we do. A percentage of everything sold here is either eco-friendly, organic, recycled, subscribe to fair trade principals or are made locally. We are developing the mall in phases, and although it's not entirely sustainable yet, we aim to eventually get it functioning completely off the grid.”

Shoppers keen on staying green will not be disappointed, but neither will those who are after original, stylish fashion, homeware or just a great cup of coffee.
Stores include:

- U & Me - a hub of coffee, clothing and conversation, offering local designer fashion and excellent barristas
- Hemporium - stylish clothing, bags, cosmetics and shoes made from hemp - housed in their elegant concept store
- Gravy Clothing – proud stockists of Craig Native – home grown designs made locally.
- The Green Shop where you will find the uber-cool “Give it bag” - designer recycled bags, and all things solar powered from batteries for cell phones, lights and home wear to ingenious children's (and adult) toys
- Think Shoes, are produced in Europe under the strictest ecological standards. All materials used are bi-products, organic, vegetable dyed, right down to 99% pure cork and natural latex.
- Never on a Sunday, a Long Street icon, offers vintage and retro clothing
- Baobab Books, the illustrious rare book shop, has been refurbished. The Time Out, Cape Town 2009 called it: 'Serious literature and volumes on material culture further attest to a discerning selectivity at the helm. A bibliophile's nirvana.'
- Jellyfish – a collaboration of local craft and designs.
- Ny Lon, another Long street legend, offers 100% locally designed fashion inspired by New York and London.
- Galleria Gibello, whose emotive African photographs are printed on handmade recycled paper, and framed in recycled wood, has opened her second gallery here
- Organic smoothies and juices at Tutti Fruity
- Afro Hair a hair salon offering organic hair products
- Clearer Conscience, based at 210 on Long, will come and collect your paper, plastic, glass, metal, e-waste and green waste from your homes and offices for a small fee. We donate as much of the material as possible to a variety of charities benefiting people, the environment, and animals - www.clearer.co.za, info@clearer.co.za, 084 603 0961

This mall, like most of the people working here, is fashion with heart. It's not surprising then that the centre's latest big project is a “Young Designers Market” on Saturday in their market space, with handpicked stalls, and all the shops, open for shopping, giving you a chance to find something special, and sustainable, made locally.

Also based at the 210 on Long creative suites is the chic-green & eco-conscious publication Life in Balance . They are a lifestyle newspaper designed to update readers on current eco trends, topical news, innovations, profiles of entrepreneurial eco-mavericks as well as a healthy dose of event reviews, travel, design & living, food and drinks, wellness, art & books.

Editor Melissa Baird can be contacted at melissa@lifeinbalance.co.za and at 021 481 1836

Cape Town Green Map
updated 03/2012 by urban sprout