Babazeka blog

I realised that I haven’t spoken very much about other online shops that have started up in South Africa. I’m not talking about the big guys like Woolworths, Kalahari and NetFlorist. I’m talking about the little guys that are slogging away to make a name for themselves in the big wide online world. In my opinion, they’re doing a fantastic job and deserve as many mentions as they can get.

1. Faithful to Nature. This one is top of my list, as it’s run by two friends of mine who are doing amazing things for Planet Earth. They sell an enormous selection of organic and natural things like beauty products, cosmetics, detergents and have just gone into food. For anyone who’s interesting in going green, this site is a must!

2. Yuppie Chef. Luxury kitchen goodies galore. Yuppie Chef is run by two guys Andrew and Shane, who not only have done a fabulous job of creating a superior online shopping experience, but are also incredibly generous in terms of their entrepreneurial advice, and this is something which I respect deeply. I’m getting married next year, and so I’m planning on making use of their wedding registry option. Exciting!

3. Springleap. I mentioned these guys a while ago. A business which is focused on promoting talented young South African artists and designers. You submit your design to Springleap and if yours is the winning selection, it gets printed onto t-shirts which are then sold to the public. For all those creatives out there, here’s your chance to make yourself famous, and for those who love to shop, take a look at their fabulous t-shirts.

4. Thingamathing. This is one which I only recently discovered and am really glad that I have. An online underwear and lingerie shop! They’ve got a great variety of styles, and promise options for all shapes and sizes. Ladies, tell your man about this one. I’m sure he’ll be happy to support Thingamathing for your next anniversary present – especially if it means that he won’t have to be embarrassed about skulking around a ladies lingerie department!

5. Adam and Eve. This a shop dedicated to fashion, selling both clothing and accessories. Their range includes international brands, and what makes me the happiest, is that they sell products by South African designers (for example Two Girls, Phillipa Green, Zenabu and Rosenworth). I know that South Africans still have a long way to go when it comes to shopping online for clothing, but if you’re a fashion lover, this site is definitely worth a try.

6. Side Attraction 3.  As it explains on the site, this business is a lifestyle brand based on a philosophy of consciousness, creativity, identity, freedom and being African. Their products are incredibly beautiful, all are unique and many are outsourced to disadvantaged communities. I love it!

Those are all I’m going to mention for now, except for Babazeka of course! I think this is a list that’s going to be growing a lot in the future, and so I’d really like to hear from you if you know any of others. Thank you :)

Written by: Sarah
Filed under: Entrepreneurship on October 2nd, 2008