Fourways Farmer’s Market owner gives ‘groove’ the green light

A recent viral video of a patron dancing at Fourways Farmer’s Market has sparked a debate over which kind of patrons have a “right” to the space on weekends, however, the venue’s founder Greg Straw says everyone is welcome. 

Speaking to 702 Breakfast host Bongani Bingwa, Straw addressed the viral video and answered the burning questions, regarding who Fourways Farmers “belongs to”.
 

She joined countless others who weighed in on the discussion after the viral video. 

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“The owner of the Farmer’s Market called into 702 this morning and said there are two different sections for a reason – if you don’t want to see this, go to the family-friendly section and leave by 5pm. And I hear him,” commented @Nomaswazi_. 

The debate comes a week after popular Twitter user @kay_mahapa was lambasted for sharing his disdain for “groove” (a South African colloquialism for a lively party) at the Farmer’s Market.

“In the beginning, we only opened on Sundays and there was the idea that in the morning it was mom, dad, granny, grandpa, the pram and the dog, and in the afternoon the younger crew would come through and the party goes… And Covid-19 hurt us a lot and it taught us a couple of lessons,” explained the owner of Fourways Farmer’s Market. 

He then explained their post-Covid strategy which involved catering to more groups of people in addition to the customer base they began with. 

This then meant that Fourways Farmer’s Market needed to open on an additional day, Saturday. 

“We started to read the room and we have the most diverse customer base. In the mornings – it’s the runners and the cyclists, and people come for breakfast, and in the afternoon – it turns into families, and in the late afternoon – in comes the party goers…” 

To cater to these different groups, the Farmer’s Market has created two different types of music lawns, with the one dedicated to “groove” – only opening at 5pm. 

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