Towards the bottom of Martin Street in the village of Nieu-Bethesda stands a white Karoo house with a blue sign.
blue cupboard
(on the stoep)
honesty shop
The two words in the name that caught my eye immediately were “honesty shop”. It was peculiar. Interesting. Strangely Karoo Heartland. Definitely worth checking out.
On the stoep we found a variety of things. On the right-hand side mostly second-hand and antique items, books and other stuff. Nice and cheap as well.
On the left-hand side, there were things like hand lotions, baby cream, shaving bars, and linen spray along with honey, jams, and pickled onions. Turns out owner Reinet is a local beekeeper who hand-makes environmentally conscious body products and also produces some of the best Karoo honey around that she promotes under the brand Reinethuise Honey Company and sells in the Blue Cupboard Honesty Shop.
Once you’re done with your shopping you simply pop your cash in the teapot. Interestingly enough, she also takes payment via PayPal. and off you go. I heard later that the village didn’t have much of a crime problem other than petty crime so clearly honesty is a currency around here.
Check out her Facebook page.