A R31-million building refurbishment – which includes a food and beverage market – developed by Boxwood Property Fund in the Cape Town Central City, is giving start-up "foodie" entrepreneurs a venue to ply their trade while enlivening the commercial offering and visitor experience in the Mother City.
SALT Food Market, on the ground floor inside Boxwood's flagship building in town, The Box (formerly Atterbury House) in Riebeek Street, comprises nine "pods" – including anchor tenant Seattle Coffee Company – in an attractive and lively double-volume space. In phase two of the project, two more pods will open early next year once the outside area is landscaped with a pavilion and uncovered terraces with outdoor seating.
Says Rob Kane, Boxwood Property Fund CEO and chairperson of the CCID Board of Directors: “We set out to create a unique community-centred food and beverage offering in this part of town as there is nothing of the kind available to visitors and office workers."
Lyle van der Merwe, responsible for leasing and business development at Boxwood, adds: "The food options at SALT Food Market offered by the vendors are all very affordable and will appeal to a wide variety of customers including vegans and vegetarians. There is everything from pub grub to health-food options, and many of the vendors cater for Halaal customers, too."
SALT Food Market on the ground floor of The Box, formerly Atterbury House.
SOFT LAUNCH
With phase one complete, the soft launch of the 200-seater space – which is dominated by a large-scale colourful mural by Joburg-born artist Ashwin Petersen and also has 4 m x 2 m television screen with DStv for sporting events – takes place this week with tenants including Maw Raw, Indian Express, Didi's Mexican, Rack & Grill, Kobe Sushi, Cairo Shwarma and Salt Bar ready to ply their trade.
The venue is open from 07h00 until late every weekday, and visitors and office workers needing a change of scene can make use of work stations with charging plugs and fast, free WiFi while enjoying a latte or meeting clients.
Van der Merwe says the food market has allowed entrepreneurs who cannot afford a brick-and-mortar store to trade. "There is a barrier to entering the food and beverage industry in the Cape Town city centre as rentals are high, and this venue offers them a so-called plug-and-play solution. At the moment, in the current economic climate, it is difficult to open a retail outlet, and growing a business comes with a lot of risk. We only put six of the nine pods to the market but we are full as there is a demand for this kind of retail space."
An artist's impression of the landscaped terraces outside The Box in Riebeek St.
ENLIVENING THE PRECINCT
SALT Market will undoubtedly enliven the area, where there is little outdoor space where visitors and office workers can relax or work. "Our aim is for this to become a community space people will visit regularly and find something different to eat or enjoy every time they do so," Van der Merwe says.
"In this part of town, there are not a lot of places where people can sit and chill, especially outside, and we are looking forward to completing phase 2 of the renovation which will entail the creation of a beautiful space outside our building."
The Box will also soon provide avid, committed cyclists, who need a place to safely store their bicycles while they're at work, with a secure "bike park" facility where they can also shower and freshen up.
"We're intent on creating community-centred spaces in town. People's needs and expectations have changed since Covid-19 arrived on our doorstep and we are trying to meet those needs at The Box," says Van der Merwe.
Boxwood Property Fund recently also completed a R40 million rejuvenation of the old Picbel Parkade, now The Felix, sprucing up the exterior and renovating two all-weather, five-storey atriums to allow tenants to work and enjoy the recreational spaces. Says Kane: "At Boxwood our view is that we need to create workspaces that can facilitate and accommodate a different kind of interaction at work because recent research shows that people are not interested in a staid, formal office environment anymore ... their needs have changed since the arrival of the pandemic and we are adapting to meet those needs."
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IMAGES: CCID, The Box