Its very difficult to try and write this post without sounding biased. Since february of 2010, Main Street Life has been my home, my inspiration, and one of the most important things to have existed in my life. I lived in the showspace and documented my life via the interweb on mainstreetlife.tv , a site I still continue to manage. I also started The Bioscope with one of my best friends Darryl Els, which is situated on the ground floor of the building.
I often go up onto the roof and stare out over the city, I often take a bicycle out and explore. I often just enjoy the fact that Im walking as opposed to always being stuck inside a car. Although I’ve been selling the dream of living in the city for months now, Im only really starting to see whats its done for me now, five months later.
I now know whats around the corner, I now know the order of streets in the city, and which way they go in terms of one-ways. I now know The Bioscope is NOT the only independent cinema, and that there are literally thousands of hidden gems that I manage to unearth on a daily basis. I also can now proudly announce that although I have to be realistic and remain aware, I am NOT afraid of the city.
Did I mention Main Street Life was a residential apartment block? with units that are being sold off and rented? at the time of writing this, units are still available, but im not sure how long that will be. There is a boutique hotel called 12 Decades on the top floor, as well as a fantastic roof space with a pool, bar , and boxing gym.
For those in the know, City Outfitters holds an almost legendary status. Its only place in the city you can get your hands on authentic vintage Converse and Vans. And by vintage, we’re referring to the ever-iconic ‘Made in the USA’ label. Seeing that the shoe-making industry was moving east in the ’70s, owner and local hero Mohammed Dajee bought up as much of the stock as he could.
Today, locals and celebrities travel from far and wide to the little store in what is now Jeppetown, although it’s quickly becoming part of the newly-established Maboneng Precinct.
The Bamboo Centre has been around so long it easy to forget what a Joburg gem it is. That was until a friend told me how she had taken her Cape Town visitor there to impress her – and it worked. So here goes:
Five more good reasons to hang out at Bamboo include:……
I honestly can’t remember the last CD I bought. To me, it comes down to only buying local acts and bands I’m a die-hard fan of. If I had to go out and buy a CD today, it would only ever be from this fine establishment. I say this for two fundamental reasons.
Firstly, because they are small and niche, ensuring they have a mad diverse selection, with no kak stashed inbetween. I hate big commercial CD stores, giving away an illusion of diversity, yet never seeming to have what you’re after…
And then secondly, because at the till, are pictures of the owner with famous people like ZZ Top.
D.O.P.E store is the very reason a site like Jobusy exists. We’re not telling you what to do, or where all the cool places are. Often, we’re simply telling you, ‘you just need to know this exists!’ You need to know D.O.P.E store exists!
Just off Gandhi Square in the old part of the CBD, they sell all the right local and international brands from Zulu Boy to Puma, Love Jozi to Nike. In fact they are one of only 30 stockists in the world to stock the new Nike soccer SA range AND only one of two stockists worldwide to stock Love Jozi’s latest TjoTjoTjo tee. Now that’s impressive.
So instead of showing you some cool angle from inside the store, we thought it best, in true Jobusy stye, to present the kind of people that make this store tick. Andile Scotch Cele and his t-shirt and sneaker people are open for business. These might very well some of the coolest people in the city. And their style and events are enough to have shouting out ‘you might just be the dumbest f&%K if you believe Johannesburg centre city ain’t alive!’
Find them at 30 Loveday St, entrance on Fox St, nearby the Rand Club.
Situated right next door to The Radium Beer Hall, Bhanis Cycle is the answer to the current fixed-gear bike craze currently sweeping the world. These guys don’t even know what’s coming for them. I walked in, and promptly walked out having ordered myself a black balloon bike! They stock all manner of fancy mountain bikes as well. Coming in much cheaper than a Sportsman’s Warehouse, where everything smells like a new tennis shoe.
The aptly-named mall is a great access point for anyone wanting to explore Little Addis. Inside the mall, the majority of stores are Ethiopian, selling anything and everything from music, coffee and spices to traditional wedding dresses. The mall is best accessed from Jeppe Street, but can also be entered from Bree. The mall is close to Von Weilig as a cross street. Look out for the large white and red sign reading Joburg Mall. On the top floor, we recommend Cafe Addis as a great spot for traditional Ethiopian food. Give a warm greeting to our main man Kassa who is one of the owners. He’s a great man and knows the area really well.
This CD store has one of the better selections of Jazz in the city. As well as some of the more hard to find albums and artists and similarly obscure genres. They’re situated in the Braamfontein Centre on the ground floor. The centre is next door to Pantsula Bites. All of this being very close to the Eland Statue, by Stephen Hobbs and The Trinity Sessions. And the most amazing part of this whole thing is that all these great places are situated on the very start of the mighty Jan Smuts Avenue.
The fact is: Collector’s Treasury is the largest used book store in the Southern Hemisphere, with something between 1 and 2 million books. On a whole separate floor is something close to half a million used vinyls. The site of which had friend and hip-hop producer Gwaza Juse shit himself with excitement. Added to all this, is the collection of small objects, antiques, and all paper and print-related collectiblse like posters, postcards and vintage prints. Overall, the place is amazing, and deserves a mission to see for yourself. Come with a whole morning to spare because you’ll want to get lost in the back somewhere for as many hours as possible, elbow-deep in amazing things.
Commissioner St (which is the very east part of the CBD).
The idea is simple. In order to truly love something, you first have to understand it. Johannesburg is no different in this regard.
Connect with the real city through those who live and play here. The result? A catalogue of Johannesburg like no other.
