Happy Tuesday Melville - let's wrap up April in style! But first, we're loving the fun facts: Did you know that Mark Inman of Old Limpopo Curiosity Shop put the famous "Man with the Mustache" sign up in the window of Scala Barber back in the day? Legend!

In today’s newsletter,

• A Fresh Approach to Markets: The Melville Market 🎪

• Winter Wear Competition First Prize Announced! 🐱

• The Tintanic Comes To Melville This May 🛳

Let’s go!

— Aubrey Moloto, Kele Jackson

The Digest

A Fresh Approach to Markets: The Melville Market 🎪

We kicked off April with a Market, and now we're wrapping it up with one as well! Our Markets are corners in Melville's 10,000-piece puzzle of characteristics. Our suburb has many defining traits, but many aren't quite as intrinsic as a wholesome communal space that draws residents in to connect while enjoying quality food and unique products made by artisans.

If that image doesn't scream heritage Melville to you - have you seen the tech in hearing aids these days? That's the image that the Melville Market at Melville Kruis Church moulds itself in. This past Saturday we went back to the church and instead of the Melville legend Thys of Kruis, we were hosted by another burgeoning local icon, Ernest Korkie, founder and director of the Melville Market.

The Man Behind the Market

"Director" hits the nail on the head with a background in film and theatre. Ernest began his career as a stage manager in opera and musicals. He then moved into film where he spent most of his career as an artist and art director. He's a multi-faceted creative who's always had a passion for visual arts, writing and especially cooking.

Ernest strikes me as a real go-getter. A get-sh*t-done goal terminator. These sorts of traits were most likely instilled through being self-employed since '97. You get a sense that being in such strict disciplines requiring high intensity, resilience, and perfectionism, has shaped him into a true leader.

One that leads by example. He has a remarkable determination that he uses to overcome some of life's toughest challenges. He emerges stronger, more resilient and more determined. Eagerly scanning the field for the next challenge.

Ernest came from Pretoria 25 years ago and moved into a cottage first in Melville, then in Westdene. This is where he later met his wife and Melville Market’s Financial Director Marina. They’ve been married for 15 years and have a 12-year-old son.

I must admit when I first met Ernest, I was slightly intimidated and didn't know what to make of him. Once he opens up, you realise that he's a soft, open-minded person who's curious about people's cultures and cares deeply for those under his leadership.

From Film Sets to Food Stalls

In 2018 Ernest had a career-ending fall at a resort that flipped the script on his movie industry role. The incident unveiled one of the biggest challenges he'd have to face. The time had come to follow a burning passion - cooking. It was time to reinvent himself.

After his fall in 2018, he started a food delivery service offering home-cooked meals weekly. He initially did well, gaining good traction and building a customer base. Then the wretched pandemic hit. When COVID ground his business to a halt, he applied for an Essential Services Certificate and it was back to business as usual. He started delivering essential food items like beans, flour, cheese, etc. When the country opened up and society resumed, business slowed down again and it was time for another pivot.

A close friend encouraged him to have a go at the local markets, and the rest is history. THE END…

Syke! It was only the beginning. He really got into Markets and loved them.

Finding His Market Niche

From the end March 2022 until March 2024 he tried different markets whilst honing his skills and developing his products and presentation. He visited, researched and learned about different types of markets, and how they operate to gain a broader understanding of the market milieu.

He chose to stay local. He looked for stability, consistency and something with a story. Ernest wanted to be a part of something more than just a market, something meaningful.

He decided to tweak his approach as he started developing his own ideas and strategies he believed would work, but also ones that spoke to his values and character as a person. Ernest started to see room for growth and an opportunity for a market that he envisioned as the perfect market for him, like-minded vendors and the community as a whole. He saw a gap for a market better equipped to serve vendors, and residents and make a bigger social impact.

Birth of the Melville Market

Ernest began searching for a space, spending days meeting with administrators of potential places where everything had either to be escalated, or dragged on and on and moved excruciatingly slowly. One afternoon he drove by Melville Kruis Church remembering a time way-back when they had a theatre rehearsal in the hall. Could this possibly be…?

He got home, phoned the church, wrote a proposal on which they responded positively. And just like that, Melville Market had a home. The nonprofit company was registered. Logos were then designed, vendors sourced, and banners printed. On 18 May 2024, Melville Market launched and was open for business.

The Market Experience

The Melville Market was an instant hit with the community. Their vibrant yellow look and strong community connection helped them slot right into the Melville landscape. They offer a variety of quality goods like:

• A variety of food such as fresh produce, breads, cheeses, pies, jams, pancakes, fish and chips, Italian sausages, hot chilli products and frozen meals

• Crafted gifts

• Art

• Clothing

• Handmade jewels

• Handcrafted wood items

• Natural skin products

• Handmade soaps

• And much more

They've quickly grown a good reputation with tons of reviews on social media and platforms like Trip Advisor with comments like "It's the perfect place to meet with friends for breakfast or brunch. It puts sunshine in your weekend. And "loved meeting up with old friends."

The idea for the market is to create a comfortable space to escape the grind of daily life and immerse in a wholesome experience. The market aims to offer more than just retail therapy. They want to foster a community and be a social hub for people to meet, and children to lose themselves in fun activities safely allowing parents the freedom to fully engage with friends and enjoy good food and entertainment.

Challenges and Evolution

It hasn't all been a picnic. There's been weekends of extreme highs and equal lows. There's a push and pull between feet and vendors. It's hard to justify vendors paying a fee to rent space for the day but not be guaranteed sales or break-even. So vendors find it hard to stick it out.

When there aren't consistent vendors, people find it hard to keep coming. Ernest feels that the Melville business nodes and markets in Jozi are currently experiencing a dry spell. The market management is working hard to find lasting solutions to these issues by studying current market trends in and out of Melville.

They ask a lot of questions and attend local forums to understand what exactly is going on in the suburb and what solutions are being made. They're also looking to move stalls into the church hall to battle the heat and keep certain foods fresher for longer. This also makes space inside the premises for cars to park amidst the recent spike in car and headlight theft around the northern suburbs.

Vision and Values

The Melville Market idea is always evolving. They're customer-focused, ensuring that stalls serve various community needs, aiming to make it a "one-stop shop". Ernest tries to lead by example, always working hard to deliver the highest quality products that are presented and packaged neatly and sustainably every single Saturday.

He encourages other vendors to do the same, lending experience from his art direction background to help vendors make their stalls look attractive. He's always teaching and training, seeing the market like a theatre production where every character has to play their part for the production to thrive. They also assist regular food vendors with their applications for a Certificate of Acceptability.

He takes this venture just as seriously as an opera or a high-intensity film set, making sure to always tweak and improve. He's always trying to fill the spectrum of customer needs to the point of adding extra stalls, stocking them up and running them too just because the market lacks a certain product. They're looking to add activities to engage children for longer and entertainment for adults offering a full customer experience.

Community Impact

They're also looking to engage with the wider community. They've been donating leftover veggies from the fresh produce stall to the church and helping with the feeding scheme.

The market is process-driven, rather than outcome. Their main goal is to add to their vendor base ensuring that each week there are many vendors as multiple answers to any need the customer may have. In essence, the market serves as a platform for small businesses to present themselves in an affordable way.

Ernest's vision of success for the Market is to see many stalls and high-quality, differentiated products. But that is all easier said than done. Everything takes time within limited resources. Without engaging and committed vendors and regular feet, the market cannot survive.

How to Join the Market

For vendors to join up, they need to reach out to Ernest, who'll then send their vendor document pack to learn how they operate and their standards, like absolutely no plastic or polystyrene is allowed.

Environmental consciousness is a core value with Ernest saying "We have to consider the planet, it's not just for us, it's for future generations as well. They'll then have to submit an application and if their stall meets the standard and the products are not already offered in that exact form, they'll be accepted and regular vendors pay, "a city-low" market fee of R125-150 per Saturday.

All fees go to rent, staff, music, branding, marketing, and development of the platform. 

I Love Melville

We took it back to Snaps On Seventh style and tied up the chat with Ernest by asking about what he loves about Melville and his most memorable moment here:

Its diversity. "It represents all spectrums of the community." His most memorable moment was The Happening - He found this event particularly memorable because "it actually shows that... everybody was there." He elaborated that at this event, "everybody came out, regardless of shape, size, colour, gender or orientation, whether they were well-dressed, funky dressed, outrageous, or not." This event visually demonstrated the diversity of the community that he loves.

If you want to check out the Melville Market, visit them at the Melville Kruis Church at 51 4th Avenue every Saturday at 9 am. To become a vendor, contact Ernest Korkie. 0844777137

If you enjoyed today’s digest consider buying us a coffee. 

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

If you thought our last gig guide was busy, wait till you see what's on in Melville this week! Here are the one-off events. Check out our event calendar platform Melville Pulse for the 411 on all things happening.

The Melville Pulse Events Calendar 👈 Click here!

Melville Weather For The Week ☀️ 

Ahh sunny weather, let's see how long it lasts!

Tuesday

24° 🌡️ 8°  | ☀️ |  🌧️ 2% | WNW 9 km/h 💨

Wednesday 

23° 🌡️ 10°  |🌤️ |  🌧️ 25% | WNW 11 km/h 💨

Thursday  

21° 🌡️ 9° | 🌩️ | 🌧️ 58% | NW 15 km/h 💨

Friday 

21° 🌡️ 5° | ☀️  | 🌧️ 2% | NNW 9 km/h 💨

Saturday 

19° 🌡️ 8° | 🌧️ |  🌧️ 62% | NNW 9 km/h 💨

Sunday

17° 🌡️ 6° |  ⛅️ | 🌧️ 40% | SW 9 km/h 💨

Monday 

19° 🌡️ 5° | ☀️ |  🌧️ 2% | WNW 4 km/h 💨

Tuesday 

22° 🌡️ 6° | ☀️ |  🌧️ 2% | NNW 4 km/h 💨

Live & Music Events Lowdown 🎸

Need some good tunes to wind down from a heavy month? Try one of these music events.

30/04 | Wednesday | 8:00 pm | Smoking Kills Bar | Be Hazed ft. Crash & The Void, Zondo Comission, Run For Cover | R100

01/05 | Thursday | 8 pm | Smoking Kills Bar | ThursGAYS | Min. R20 Donation at door

02/05 | Friday | 7:00 pm | Chiesa di PAZZO LUPi  | Odwa Bongo featuring Chester Summerton | R180 Quicket / R250 Door

02/05 | Friday | | Smoking Kills Bar | Absolution ft. Antimatter, Instate, Ruckus 

03/05 | Saturday | 4:00 pm - 1:00 am | Smoking Kills Bar | Underground #18 | R50 before 8pm, R100 after

03/05 | Saturday | 7:30 pm | The Art House | Vula sessions ft Sisonke Xonti and Keenan Ahrends | R200 Online / R250 Door

For more updates as the week goes on, visit our instagram page @snapson7th or our new Melville Pulse event calendar

The Tail End 🐾

 Winter Wear Competition First Prize Announced!

The Pet Winter Wear competition kicks off this week! We hope you're as excited as we are to see those cute puppies and kitties in their best outfits.

We'll post each picture we receive in the newsletter and urge our readers to vote by replying to the email with the name they vote for like: "I vote for Schnikum-shnikum!". Each vote Schnikie gets will be counted until the 1st of September 2025 where we'll tally up the votes and announce the winners.

First prize is a whopping R1500 voucher to spend at Ziggy's Pet Pamporium! Second place wins a super cool R750 pet hamper.

Please, Melville, let's all participate, celebrate our pets and make it a fun and special event amongst the community.

Reply to this email if you're participating. Let's gauge interest.

For Freshly Groomed Doggies

Word on the street is that after the heavy rains, Emmarentia is super muddy and full of mud slides. If you're a freshly groomed dog, we suggest staying clear of Emmarentia while things dry up.

Maybe try the Koppies instead? The monthly Walk With Dogs on Melville Koppies West is happening this Saturday the 3rd of May. Come join us!

Art In Melville 🖼 

Pottery Paradise at Melville Mudroom

We were graciously invited to the Melville Mudroom on the corner of 7th Avenue and Main Road for a wheel throwing class. It was our first time doing pottery, and we had an excellent teacher in Malie as our guide.

The whole energy of the place is tranquil and oozes creativity. The converted home is shaded, surrounded by trees, with a clean white space packed with pottery machines, tools, finished pieces and adorable aprons.

Classes are held in three different spaces: the outdoor patio where you get your clay and mould it, plus two main rooms—one small one for wheel throwing and another large room for many of their other pottery class offerings.

It was a wonderful experience, and we all agreed that it's definitely worth the price. It's tricky but therapeutic, requiring lots of concentration and using new parts of your brain. 

We rate it a 10/10 for a date idea, possibly even the best date idea in Melville. We're definitely going back! Catch them this Friday for their First Friday classes.

Extra Sprinkles 🧁 

The Tintanic Comes To Melville

This month, Melville gets a very special and creative take on a blast from the past. A giant 8.7-meter 1:29 scale replica of the Titanic comes to Melville, displayed at 27 Boxes.

It's called Tin-tanic because the replica is made from tin and helps the makers protect their IP. The model was created by South African artist Gino Hard over 3 years and is sponsored by Vinolia—the original advertiser for the real Titanic in 1912.

The exhibition started in 2017 and has been docking at prime shopping locations in major provinces, covering a distance of more than 10,000 km and seen by more than 10 million people. And now we get to have a peek!

The version of the show coming to Melville is a never-seen-before exhibition curated with "drama, beauty and reverence." 

It showcases over 40 designed exhibition boards, artworks, and the full-scale model in all its glory. There are also intricate blueprint-style deck plans of the Olympic-Class Ocean Liners for students and serious enthusiasts to check out.

The exhibition promises to be "haunting, emotional and visually powerful," starting on the 31st of May and running until the 6th of December at the Joburg Artist Market (27 Boxes).

Tickets:

• R100 for family package (10 years+)

• R150 for second class (children under 14)

• R250 for first class (people over 14)

• R120 for pensioners

Children under 14 have a different show from adults.

Thank you! 🙏

And that's April wrapped! If you enjoyed this week's read, why not buy us a coffee?

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Til' May, Melville!

Stay resilient, stay determined and keep leading by example.

Lehitraot ✌️