We are passionate about supporting and empowering local small businesses. To date 97% of our retail products are sourced locally. In this blog series, you will meet some of our most successful and valued suppliers.

Carlie’s Darlings successfully completed our Enterprise and Supplier Development Programme which offers training and support for services such as Accounting, HR and Marketing, access to grants and funding, as well as mentorship to participants. Our aim is to ensure that small businesses get the right level of support to help them grow. Carlie’s Darlings was named the Overall Winner of our 2023/2024 ESD Programme.

Carleen Luyt’s journey with us started as an employee. She has always displayed incredible creativity. She eventually decided to pursue this passion full-time. Carlie’s Darlings was borne out of the idea to find a unique product for our Shop at the Top. Rianda Williams, the Executive Manager for Retail and Ticketing, approached Carleen with the idea of creating unique crocheted stuffed toys. Carleen took like a duck to water, creating the most beautiful Carlie’s Darlings stuffed toys, that sold within days of being stocked in our shop. Eventually demand exceeded supply to such an extent that Carleen now trains several members of her community to assist in the creation of these toys.