OZCF Market | Soulful retail
This is a place not just for superficial trading, but a space that has soul.
In the middle of the new OZCF Market at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront there is a small potted-tree laden with tags of handwritten well-wishes for the future prospects of the venture.
If you do find yourself at the OZCF Market, be sure to look out for it.
What's striking about this simple mechanism, is that it's experiential evidence of the value that market places offer. A space for people to gather, an environment of community connection that has deep emotional significance for those who visit, and those who offer things to buy.
Amidst all of the digital technology talk that we overly concern ourselves with - nothing comes close to the authenticity of a handwritten note carrying a message of encouragement.
This is a place not just for superficial trading, but a space that has soul. It carries within it the wishes of people, made explicit by these simple tags.
It reminds us of similar prayer tags that we saw many years ago at a famed mountain shrine in Kamakura, Japan.
A wall of positive sentiment captured on small cards symbolising the elevated meaning that the place carries with it.
It's onwards and upwards for Cape Town's premier farmer's market - long may it prosper.