Inspired by similar developments like Box Park in London’s Shoreditch, 27 Boxes, a shipping container shopping development in Melville, has transformed a disused park into 80 boutique stores and restaurant and kiosk spaces geared towards starter entrepreneurs, from fashion designers to chefs, jewellers, artists, interior designers and barristas and bakers. The emphasis of many of the stores is on local design and local production and you will often find that the friendly face behind the counter is also the person who handmade the unique items that you are buying. A quirky alternative to Joburg's mega mall scene.

FASHION
Unique local fashion and design is a hallmark of 27 Boxes. Names to look out for include: must-have T-shirts from Krag Drag, with their cheeky African designs and fun twists on iconic South African brands. There is also a regularly rotating selection of vintage pop-up stores with every era (from the 1920s flapper to the 1990s grunge rockers) catered for, at prices that won’t break the bank. 

GIFT SHOPPING AND CURIOS
If you need to buy somebody a gift, 27 Boxes is a great place to find it with a variety of quirky gift shops as well as Joburg's biggest secondhand CD/DVD/LP dealer, Microgram Music Traders.