Locrate Market

Artist: Kgosi Rampa
Location: Corner Kudu & Moema Street,
Orlando West, Soweto
Year of completion: 2014
Researcher: Siphiwe Ngwenya

An opportunity was identified by the LoCrate founders and Soweto was chosen as the location for creation of the platform for our peers to showcase their creative talent. The mission is to create an environment where young and aspiring entrepreneurs, creators and innovators could jump start their start up ideas, meet other like-minded people, validate new concepts, get tips from established brands, create connections and get the necessary exposure to take their business ideas further.

This is done with a vision of changing all stereotypes about Soweto and create the first sustainable, community centred, truly grass root small business idea incubation platform accessible to all entrepreneurially minded and creatively focused youth.We are located a few minutes' walk from the iconic Vilakazi Street.

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LoCrateFOOD has an exclusive collaborative relationship with the Jo’burg Food Truck Association a.k.a Mother Truckers as the anchor food vendors. Beside the normal food vendors the visitors are treated with the best gourmet food. No other market in Johannesburg has food trucks as their differentiator. The LoCrate Food Academy supplies equipment and training to youth that want to enter into the food vending business and guides the start-ups until they are completely self-sufficient. LoCrateDESIGN employs a meticulous selection criteria to ensure that authentic design product are featured at each event. We look for differentiation factors, design cohesion and alignment with the market principles in all our design traders. LoCrateEXPERIENCE is all about creating the right setting and vibe through poetry, entrepreneurially focused workshops and live music shows. The visitors to the market will experience the true creative atmosphere and are able to back the experience and become the true brand igniters for the LoCrate brand.

Currently the market occupies less than 40% of the total available space. There is room for growth and with strong relationships created with the community, city parks and the warden office we have the ability to scale within the allocated space as we require in the future. Through constant interaction with the community leader we had devised a collective strategy on how the community and the space can benefit and be improved. We give back to the community through various campaigns, employing residents and also dedicating two free stalls to entrepreneurs from the community.

LoCrate Market is Soweto's 1st lifestyle market. This makes it an inspiring and innovative initiative by the youth to cater to growing aspiration and talent found in South AA cultured environment for individualistic african townships.The importance of this project lies in the way it shows people that change in communities has to come from community members themselves, directing and showcasing the interests of the youth while encouraging social cohesion and creative excellence.

All copyright belongs to Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University.

Progress Agency