Wednesday, 28 October 2026

Wendy Nola says defective goods bought at a market can be returned within six months at the supplier's expense, and shoppers are entitled to a receipt even for small purchases.

Carmers Makers says it supports about 400 businesses and roughly 4,000 direct jobs a year, with the economic ripple effect extending well beyond the show itself.

Carmers started in 2003 when a group of women sold gifts from a Stellenbosch home, a platform that has since grown into the country's biggest pop-up artisan market.

Zizi Matakiti left her job at the Department of Energy when COVID hit and turned to baking; her business, Sweetest Pie, now makes fruit pies and tarts.

Shelly Taylor's jewellery business, which started in her mother's house, now employs about 30 women making handmade semi-precious stone and pearl pieces.