Changes, Changes...

Sandton Court, Cambridge Crossing, Paulshof, and The Wedge, Morningside are still digging their way to China (as the saying goes).  Which seems appropriate, considering the influx of Chinese and Chinese goods.  Actually, Hawaii is the place on earth closest to directly under South Africa...

The dreaded revamping disease has spread to Benmore Gardens, where it is well under way.  The former floor of offices has been converted to a banking mall, and all four banks have moved in.  The upper level is almost devoid of shops as the revamp continues there.  The lower level is very much open for business: Several shops have moved there from the upper level.

Later in the year, Morning Glen Mall is going to start being redeveloped, with a new tenant mix and "bigger anchors etc. that can't be disclosed now. The parking will also be addressed".  We hope that will revitalise this lovely centre that has not realised its potential.

Odd Jobs

Does a criminal who is afraid of being arrested have an apprehension of apprehension?

New on the Block, Movers and Shakers  Back to top

• Metro Restaurant, near Sandton Court – A new branch of this "glamorous bistro, bar and ultra lounge" is opening end May 2017 opposite the entrance to Morningside MediClinic.
• Mio Col'Cacchio Pizzeria has reopened in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Restaurant & Coffee Shop. Pizza, pasta, Salad, Drinks.
• Barberazzi Barbershop, Shop 16, Ground in Cambridge Crossing – Now in a container on the left of Mimmos. Men's hairdressers.
• New listing: The Eatalian (126 11th St) near Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Italian deli and Restaurant at 126 11th St, Parkmore, next to Victoria Ave.
• Newly listed: The Grillhouse Sandton near Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – 11 Alice Lane, Sandton.
• Seasons Cuisine, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Keto, Paleo, Banting and natural "good clean fair food", largely fresh and organic.
• Healthy Nutrition Dietitian Services, Ground in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – For weight loss/gain & management, diabetes & insulin resistance, high cholesterol & high blood pressure, sports nutrition, IBO/IBS, nutrition during pregnancy & lactation, thyroid disorders.
• Chronic Disease Management & Alternative Medicine, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Chronic Disease Self-Management via Complimentary Alternative Medicine, Western Medicine and Behavioural Science to get the body in balance.
• Drama Therapist, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Creative Communications, Drama Therapist, Family and Organisational Systems Constellations, Trainer and Facilitator.
• MQ Kinetic Therapy, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Posture correction, back/neck pain relief, functional fitness, sports conditioning, body shaping/toning, core strength & balance, flexibility, posture awareness, posture improvement, Pilates rehab.
• Hugo Aesthetics, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Cosmetic Procedures: Botox, Dermal Fillers, Chemical Peels, PDO Threads, Weight Loss Injections & program.
• Registered Dietitian, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Get your body in shape with the correct diet.
• Beautiful Movement, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Stott Pilates, IndiYoga, and Aerial Yoga instructor.
• Energy Healing with Reflexology, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Reiki and Chakra Balancing combined with Therapeutic Foot Massage.
• Totally Me: Intimacy & Relationship Coach, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Helping individuals & couples “find each other”, taking relationships to a deeper level of intimacy.
• Solve+ Advanced Wellness Therapies, in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Heal your body naturally? No indication how.
• Just Biltong Kiosk, Lower Level in Bryanston Shopping Centre – Biltong kiosk in the atrium outside Red Square.
• Delivery Xtreme Rivonia in Morning Glen Mall – Deliveries to Rivonia, Gallo Manor, Woodmead and surrounding areas from local restaurants and Boulevard Cellars Liquor.
• The Grillhouse - Biltong Kiosk, Ground in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre.
• Twisp Kiosk, Ground in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Electronic cigarettes.
• W & S Flowers, Basement in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Florist.
• Style Philosophy, Ground in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Ladies boutique.
• Gratiea Cosmetics, Ground in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Allegedly "age-defying" "natural" skin-care products based on Dead Sea salt and other quack remedies.
• Albizia Book Bargains Kiosk one week a month (Next: 6-13 May) in Bryanston Shopping Centre (also in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre) – Imported UK books at local prices.
• Pics Hub (Kiosk), Upper Level in Bryanston Shopping Centre – Canvas Printing and stretching, turning your photo into an artwork.

Restaurant Review by Judith Back to top

*** Thai Café, Cambridge Crossing, Paulshof

We decided to revisit this restaurant after not being there for a year. Sadly, things have changed. We ordered Leopard's Leap white wine and hot chocolate for drinks as it was chilly. Then we both opted for stir fried duck. Alas, this was a sadly bad choice.  The duck was overcooked and tough.  It put me off entirely. My partner replaced his with stir fried cashew chicken, which was pronounced tender, though the "mild" version was somewhat tasteless.

I think my disappointment killed my appetite.

Contact Details for Thai Café.

Punny Language, English...

Mountains aren't just funny; they are hill areas!

Cadaverous  Back to top

• Leather and Luggage, Shop 36 in Morning Glen Mall – on the Lower Level. Leather goods: bags, suitcases, belts,.
• Polly Potters Toy Store, Shop 62 in Morning Glen Mall – opened 1 Feb 2013. A quality range of toys and gifts for babies, toddlers and young children.
• DIY Depot Bryanston, Shop 04 in Bryanston Shopping Centre – Paint, hardware, building materials, gas. Closed with effect from 23 April 2017. Relocated to Shop 24, Olivedale Corner Shopping Centre, Cnr President Fouche & Olive Rds, Olivedale.
• CBJ Country Clothing, Shop 34 in Bryanston Shopping Centre – Casual fashion wear for women of all ages, handmade locally using cotton fabrics with a soft, relaxed look. Still in Killarney Mall.
• Lobster Trap in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – Seafood restaurant and sushi. Prices on the high side, food to match.
• La Petit Pizzeria in Naturally Yours Wellness Centre – part of the Country Living stable. We hoped their food was better than their French!
• Beauty Factory, Shop G30 in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Quality bath and body products direct from the Beauty Factory to your bathroom.
• Caffe Fresco, Shop U22/23 in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Food - Restaurant & Coffee Shop. Full a la carte menu, Coffee, Pastry, Wine Menu.
• Execubump, Shop G57 in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Maternity and newborn store. No longer online either.
• Handpainted by Carmel, Shop G54 in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Gifts, Flowers, Arts, Antiques & Crafts. Hand-painted fabric. Tablecloths, Tablemats, Poufs, Nappy Bags, Cushions, Crockery, Fabric.
• Norman Goodfellows, Shop G26 in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Liquor Store, opened May 2014. A premier liquor retailer.
• Pentravel, Shop G58 in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Leisure travel agency offering all sorts of travel options.
• Meat etc., Shop G08 in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Butchery and deli. Prime cuts, best quality. Opened Sept 2012.
• The Tea Merchant, Shop G19 in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – Loose leaf tea, teapots, cups, accessories – a complete tea solution. You can still shop online and have it delivered.
• African Queen Boutique, Shop G21B in Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre – opened August 2013, retailing hats, sandals, and bags mostly made by disadvantaged communities to create employment.

Household Tips from Everyday Cheapskate (www.everydaycheapskate.com)

THE LIST. Keep a whiteboard or pad of paper on the fridge for everyone in the family to write on when they run out of something (like toiletry items), or use up the last bit of milk or cereal. At our house, this is called “The List,” and if you don’t write it down on The List, do not expect it to magically appear in the house. --Ellen

SAVE THE TOP HALF. If you are only going to use half a bell pepper, slice from the bottom and keep the top with the stem intact. This way, the remaining half of the pepper will last longer in the refrigerator and stay crisper. --Tina

SUPER FUN GIFT. Here's a great idea for a kid's birthday present: Assemble your own craft box. Purchase craft items like pipe cleaners, coloured glue, glitter, paper, stickers, popsicle sticks, stamps and ribbon, along with a container to hold them. (Many of these items can be found at The Crazy Store.) Then personalize the container and include a few instructions for some craft projects. Makes for a great rain-day activity kit. --Allison.

Special Offer: 50% off Business Marketing Course, Today Only!

This really belongs in our new business newsletter, Doing Business in Sandton, but since the offer expires at midnight on Friday 5 May, we need to get it to you now!  Small business coach Peter Carruthers writes:

I have run my own businesses since 1984. That first business effort reached an annual turnover equal to R50 million today. I closed it in 1992 as the economy stopped before the 1994 elections...

I built a new business presenting live training seminars to more than 30,000 small business owners from 1995 to 2003...

All my income since 2004 has come through the Internet while flitting between South Africa, England, Spain and Norway...

These sound like completely different ventures. But one simple marketing style connects them all: Direct Marketing. It's the foundation of every truly successful small business.

In my case, I started using snail mail, then fax, and now email.

The technology has changed. The principles have not.

Marketing has two "arms":

1. There is "prospecting", finding new people to buy your products and services. This has always been the most expensive facet. In the old days we trooped from door to door. Then we started advertising to differentiate our products. More recently we use Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google AdWords. These need lots of technical expertise. And they cost serious money when you get it wrong.
2. The second arm is "nurturing". This is looking after those people that you know will buy your products and services one day. Direct marketing, using letters or catalogues, was the cheapest way of doing this. Then email arrived. It now costs close to nothing to reach every prospect you know. As often as you want.

My short course on How to Use Email to Sell More to More People will get you up and running within three hours.

Most of us seem to have had an awful April. So I am offering the course at a 50% discount for anyone joining the course before midnight May 5.

You will send your first email campaign within three hours of starting the course. (It's only four hours long.) And your first email will be so much better than my first letter back in 1984! (But that built a R50 million business.)

This direct marketing approach has worked for every single business I have seen try it. It's not full of technical gotchas like AdWords or Facebook. It does not need scads of technology. It just works.

Join here. Half price. Make more sales in April. And May. And every month for the rest of your business career... Or your R648.50 back.

Warm regards
Peter Carruthers

Moanday Blues   Back to top

Julius wonders why they named a day after the moon: Shouldn't they rather have named a night after it?

Civic: Home Preparation for a Person with a Visual Impairment, Part 4 (Final)

This is the last of four Home Preparation Tips to Accommodate a Person with a Visual Impairment, by Jackie Waters of Toastmasters and hyper-tidy.com: Her home preparation tips will help you make your loved one with a visual impairment feel more confident and independent (some are applicable to the totally blind).

Tip 11 (the Kitchen) was in February.

Overheard at the Checkout:

"I believe you when you say that you 'overlook' the shelf packing!  It would be a lot better if you would 'oversee' it!"