More and more people are choosing to put down roots in a reinvented idea of a neighbourhood. A neighbourhood that offers tech-enhanced apartments and living spaces with quick access to beachfront promenades, trendy restaurants and bars, vibrant nightlife, outdoor gyms and breath-taking views. The Atlantic Seaboard offers all this and more, but what the bustling communities such as Sea Point also have are local businesses which are proving to be alluring gems that are catching the attention of property buyers.
From young up-and-comers to seasoned investors, intuitively designed apartments offer sought-after living spaces primely positioned in some of the Western Cape’s trendiest areas. Aside from the distinctive apartment blocks which offer modern convenience, these connected living neighbourhoods are often thoughtfully developed in spaces that allow for local businesses to become an integral part of the living experience for residents.
Small businesses provide character and individuality to a community. It’s neighbours calling on neighbours ― friends helping friends. However, for one of Sea Point’s local businesses, Norfolk Deli, it’s more than that.
From starting out with a plan scribbled on a whiteboard, right through to mapping out what the business would mean for the local community to choosing the location and building the team who would run the deli, owners Marius and Chelsy Theron, were intent on creating a space where people could enjoy quality food in a place where they felt comfortable. The idea of leveraging the pulling power of local businesses and combining it with the living spaces being developed around them aligned perfectly with their vision of being active contributors to the local community.
The couple explains further, “Small businesses form the backbone of any community because they bring people together, build the character of a local area. When coupled with the option to actually live, work and play without leaving the immediate vicinity, these communities now become thriving areas of activity. The ripple effect from residents to locals to visitors and tourists streaming in to experience the distinct vitality of the area is limitless.”
According to local property developer and CEO of Blok, Jacques Van Embden, the way people are choosing to live has been reimagined. “As people increasingly crave connection, they seek to live in homes that are communities and communities within homes. There is no greater way to give them this than to place them right in the heart of some of their most familiar, well-loved and homegrown businesses to directly connect them with their surroundings – the places they love to frequent where they feel most at home”, he says.
Norfolk Deli has been well received within the local Sea Point community, and as such, has taken their daily offering of hot pressed sandwiches, baguettes, filled croissants, the lovely fresh brunch and light lunch selection as well as their fresh local products such as baked pastries, eggs, dips, rusks and more, one step further.
“We have been warmly welcomed by the local community and are excited for the next phase of the deli which in partnership with Jacques and the Blok team will involve supplying the apartments at 6-On-N with in room delivery service.” This innovative partnership ensures that the Theron’s small business can sustainably operate and grow, and offer property buyers an added incentive to inject cash into the area.
A walkable local business enclave invites shoppers to stay longer and interact with their friends and neighbours. This only means good things for local economies. “In the short few months we’ve been open we have been received so warmly by the local community , in a bigger way than we could have imagined. We hope that all of our customers continue to feel at home in our space and that it always remains a place where quality matters and kindness is cool,” concludes the couple.
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