Observatory’s artisan scene celebrates the unhurried rhythms of craft and creativity. From bicycle framebuilders and blacksmiths to bakers and mosaic artists, the neighbourhood’s makers have turned patience into an art form.

Mercer Bikes

Inside The Bijou’s Art Deco walls, David Mercer bends and brazes steel into custom bicycle frames that have been commissioned from around the globe. A former veterinarian who succumbed to a decades-old passion for framebuilding, Mercer creates one-off touring bikes, road racers and gravel machines tailored precisely to each rider’s proportions and riding style.

Working primarily with Columbus steel tubing, Mercer builds frames using traditional fillet brazing techniques. His workshop also offers frame repairs for vintage bicycles and one-on-one framebuilding courses where students light the torch themselves. Each frame is a collaboration between maker and rider, designed through actual human conversation rather than algorithm. His semi-production model, The Hungry Monkey, is a 650B trail bike available in three sizes, while custom commissions take several months from consultation to completion.

Where: The Bijou, 178 Lower Main Road, Observatory
When: Workshop visits by appointment
Contact: [email protected] | 084 554 3762

The Local Baker

Every Wednesday morning, a queue snakes down Lower Main Road for three hours of baking magic. The Local Baker, an accredited pastry chef who has traded at Oranjezicht City Farm Market for years, opens the bakery at The Bijou once weekly with top-shelf sourdough and Swedish cardamom buns that draw loyal crowds.

Operating on a strict first-come-first-served basis from 9am to noon, the bakery sells out regularly, sending disappointed latecomers home to wait another week. Prices start at R35 for a loaf of what many call the best sourdough in Cape Town. The no-fuss approach and limited hours have turned Wednesday mornings into a weekly ritual for Observatory locals, who time their errands around the bakery’s brief opening.

Where: The Bijou, 178 Lower Main Road, Observatory
When: Wednesdays 9am-12pm
Contact: Via The Bijou website

The Tool Room

Conrad Hicks’ blacksmithing forge occupies the former seating area of The Bijou theatre, where the cathedral-like space now houses rare tools and the constant ring of hammer on anvil. Hicks specializes in hand-forged metalwork using only traditional jointing methods, believing these techniques are essential to a piece’s symbolic meaning.

The Tool Room produces hand-forged steel frying pans and roasting trays alongside sculptural commissions for private collections and public installations. His work includes the gates at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, metalwork for Tokara Winery, and sculptures for the 2010 World Cup Hero Walk. Each pan and kitchen implement is handmade in Observatory, following Hicks’ philosophy that beautiful tools make beautiful things. His son Leo has joined the practice, creating his own range of forged spoons, bowls and frying pans.

Where: The Bijou, 178 Lower Main Road, Observatory
When: By appointment
Contact: [email protected] | 021 447 5066

Woodstock Cycleworks

After more than a decade on Searle Street in Woodstock, this beloved bicycle shop relocated to Observatory, bringing with it a reputation as one of Cape Town’s finest cycle restoration specialists. Owner Nils Hansen and his team have built what may be the biggest supply of second-hand bicycle parts in Africa, housed in a space that feels more like a museum than a workshop.

The shop restores vintage beauties while servicing everything from commuters and fixies to mountain bikes and fold-ups. With vaulted ceilings and exposed brick walls lined with classic framebuilders’ work from South Africa’s cycling heritage (Peugeot, Alpina, Du Toit, LeJeune, Hansom and Peter Allan), browsing here is a journey through two-wheeled history. Recycled bicycles start at R4,000, while custom builds and rare collectables can reach R25,000. The team also hosts weekly community rides: Friday morning bagel runs at 7.30am and Saturday city breakfast runs at 8am.

Where: 321 Lower Main Road, Observatory
When: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9.30am-1pm
Contact: [email protected] | 021 461 5634

Create.Hobby Studio

This sewing studio has welcomed students of any age since 2013, teaching comprehensive sewing skills through customized courses. The curriculum progresses from Level 1 basics (machine use, elastics, zips, buttons and pattern reading) through Level 2 and 3 garments (dresses, pants, tailored jackets) to pattern-making courses that teach students to draft bodice, sleeve, skirt and trouser blocks.

Classes run mornings, afternoons and evenings to accommodate various schedules, with all sewing machines and equipment supplied. The studio also hosts kids sewing camps during school holidays, team-building workshops and birthday parties centred around sewing projects. Beyond education, Create.Hobby operates a retail shop selling Brother and Singer sewing machines, embroidery machines, overlockers, steamers and dress forms, with post-sale support on all equipment.

Where: 142 Lower Main Road, Observatory
When: Mon-Tue 9am-4.30pm & 6pm-8pm, Wed-Fri 9am-4.30pm, Sat 11am-3.30pm
Contact: [email protected] | 084 653 8935

Bit by Bit Mosaic

Kerry Atherstone discovered mosaic art while studying clothing design at Cape Technikon, experimenting with smashed tiles for a reconstructive design brief. That passion evolved into a design company specializing in custom art commissions, community work and events. Commercial clients include Weylandts, Moro Gelato and Aurum, with work spanning retail, residential and commercial spaces.

Half-day workshops teach beginners the ancient practice of mosaic making, with materials, tools and small projects included. Team-building packages offer companies a hands-on creative experience focused on joint effort and communication, while kids birthday parties and hen parties can be arranged. The studio also sells take-home mosaic kits. Community projects focus on skills transfer and social upliftment, particularly in education, with Atherstone facilitating workshops that teach community members mosaic techniques while involving school children in collaborative installations.

Where: Observatory (contact for address)
When: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 9am-3.45pm
Contact: [email protected] | 079 042 3908

Southern Suburbs Holistic Festival

On the first Sunday of every month, Observatory Hall transforms into a holistic lifestyle fair that has served the community for years. The market satisfies those with holistic and healthy appetites through therapists and life readers, vegan and organic food vendors, and stalls selling green, eco-friendly, recycled and healing products.

The market welcomes both dogs and children, with patrolled parking available. Entrance costs R10, and the atmosphere focuses on wellness, community and sustainable living. Visitors can browse handcrafts, enjoy treatments, consult with practitioners and stock up on organic produce. The market represents one of Observatory’s longest-running community gatherings, drawing locals and visitors to the historic hall for an unhurried Sunday morning of discovery.

Where: Observatory Community Hall, Corner Collingwood and Rawson Street, Observatory
When: First Sunday of each month, 10am-4pm
Contact: [email protected] | 061 942 2950

For more things to do in Obs, explore our guides to thrifting and theatre, music and comedy gigs.