Decorex and Design for living Exhibitions: Part 1
These huge design and gadget exhibitions are held once a year for a reason.
They wear your hips out from trundling around like a flatfoot. It’s the same syndrome I get when I go to a gallery or museum and you walk at an artificial pace, which gets you nowhere and does horrible things to my ball and socket joint. I could be doing it wrong though.
We decided to do both shows in a day, (here comes a week in bed. Torn rotator cuffs and a chronic case of pamphlet hand)
This exhibition has been going for years and years (didn’t say how many on the website) and is now quite an institution and dare I say a little long in the tooth. The poor old “Good Hope” Centre, where it has been held for a least the last 20 years has taken quite a beating and showing its age. Especially compared to our new convention centre, which looks like a spaceship. The Good Hope centre is located behind “The Castle” on the border of Woodstock and the CBD, on the corner of Oswald Pirow St and Sir Lowry Road. It is also opposite the now defunct oriental plaza.
At 11-12 years old, Design for living was one of the only places we were allowed to attend alone, and it looks as though the same exhibitors are still there. Even the same products are there, presumably having been around since the worlds fair. Super Irons, Super Vacuum cleaners, 20 different brands of massage machine and Super blenders.
When they say “one is born every minute”, these are the people they mean. I must confess to buying a $400 Vitamix blender in the US, but I took it back a week later when it didn’t make soup like at the road show. This wouldn’t happen in South Africa, once it’s yours it’s yours baby.
I estimate there were about 200+ exhibitors, but the place was quite desolate on mid-morning Thursday. Most people come in the evenings and of course on the weekend. The show is running for nine days from 21 April – 1 May, and it’s open till 21:00 every night. it cost R35 at the door ($5) There is a food hall and could be quite a gas to see from a tourist perspective. There is tons to see and do there which you can read about on the website.
Next post: Decorex