Memorial Square

Situated in a shady corner of Memorial Square the Knysna library is a quiet reminder of what this Village once was.

And our own town Square………is a hive of multicultures. Sit for an hour at one of the boulevard type eateries and one can meet any number of nationalities, locals, businessmen and Rastafarians. Who needs TV??? In our square one can discuss anything over a cup of coffee. Anything from weather forcasts “look at the weasten head my dear and that’s our today’s weather !!” Get a mine of infomation on any topic across the board from – job vacancies , where to find a reliable plumber or that bargain you have been looking for.

So … head for THE Square. And be in the center of all thats fun in Knysna! Dahling you haven’t lived till you’ ve sat in the Square

Where to eat out, what to do. Accomodation and activities offered in and around Knysna and the Garden Route. Personal views, reviews and local knowledge. Forest walks, fishing tips and all the back routes.

Sign Right is an old Knysna business. They have been seeing to Knysna’s creative signage and installation requirements for well over a decade now. They do all sorts of creative things behind the scenes at Sign Right. From sandblasting designs onto glass to acrylic vinyl signs and, interestingly, they also make custom puzzles. ‘What’s that?’ You ask. Take a photograph of any image you like in to Catherine and she’ll turn it into a jig saw puzzle for you. How about that for a unique momento of your trip, or family occasion?

Even if you aren’t looking for a sign, that’s no reason not to stop in for a chat with Catherine. Especially if you enjoy creativity. How about a waterproof business card.

If you want to talk to Catherine about something original and creative you would like her team to address for you, call her up on 044 382 5554 or (+27) 825882645
signright.co.za

Debbie and  Connie are the two smiling faces behind this creative designer jewellery store. A Gold licensed jeweller ( that means they are allowed to buy raw gold to manufacture into their unique creations) Dazzling Jewellers create custom pieces for what they call, “the family people”  and retail stock jewellery of their own design as well as other pieces..
A tradition of jewellery design and manufacture has developed on the garden route with a number of talented smiths at work. None quite like the duo plying their trade in this out of the way corner of Memorial square. The old and traditional heart of Knysna. One gets the sense that these pieces of jewellery on display in the modest showroom are somehow imbued with what one might call the ‘spirit of Knysna.’ As an artist Debbie is not pretentious at all and is happy to chat with anyone. Her pieces have a sense of history to them without being old fashioned. Mark a simple occasion with  Dazzling jewellery, or pay respect to a major milestone in your family’s life by giving a timeless piece crafted by the sensitive hands of authentic craftspeople.

Asked why the shop is tucked into the far corner of Memorial square instead of somewhere more in the public eye Debbie’s lips curl up into the very slightest smile and it becomes obvious that the question is almost rude. She likes it here. She didn’t become a goldsmith because gold is worth a fortune. She does this work because she loves it.

Seated demurely on a small staircase outside a tiny little shop just into memorial square one finds a person who has to be called ‘one of those real Knysna characters’. Cherry is a delightful woman who minds the store front at the littlest shop in Knysna on behalf of herself and the other four ladies who are partners in the unusual business, which sells books, gifts and arty crafty bits and pieces. Home crafted characterful items An eclectic mix that gives a visitor something to look through and be amused and inspired by while browsing the stores and sampling the cuisine in this most interesting part of town. Cherry didn’t talk to me about her shop as much as she did about the square it is in. Memorial square where, the interesting lady with porcupine quills keeping her hair in place tells me, many people have scattered the ashes of their loved ones on the memorial in the centre of the square.
Cherry is one of those people who quietly goes about caring for people around her who are in need of one sort or another. She is always involved with helping one or another person who needs it. This may be the ‘Littlest Shop in Knysna’ bt from what I hear it’s got the biggest heart in town.
Drop by for a chat and pick up something to read or a momento of your trip from this genuine gem. The littlest shop in Knysna.

Practically anyone who has spent any amount of time in Knysna will recall this twenty year old business trading out of a building that dates back to the eighteen hundreds. The Coffee Connection offers an interesting and varied menu to complement the astonishing selection of fine Arabica coffees they have on offer.
Thirty varieties, blends and flavoured coffees can be relaxed over and enjoyed in what has become a Knysna must.
The original character of the building in the centre of Knysna was carefully preserved and this let’s one feel that here at last one has found the Original Knysna. The place bustles without being noisy. Filled with locals and a cosmopolitan mixture of people from all over the world, steaming up their glasses over one of those cups of coffee that make one’s morning worthwhile.

Artists, business people, tourists, and generally people from all walks of life come together here at the Coffee connection. A real social hub.

Wonderful coffee served promptly and professionally is one thing, put it with the kind of food these people serve and add that to the impressively historic location and you have a place that deserves it’s lengthy and excellent reputation.

If you’re hungry after that first cup, I’d recommend the ‘Italian Style Breakfast’.
Be warned, the portions are generous to say the least and the food more than tasty enough to cause one to overeat.
Come to the heart of Knysna and get your juices flowing and appetite satisfied at the Coffee Connection.

Fat Susis is a delightful Bistro pleasantly situated in Memorial Square  in Knysna on the Garden Route.

Swiss couple Mike and Lisa offer European style and taste and they roast their own coffee.

Drop by for a chat, a great meal and some coffee to die for.

So there is a gigantic shopping mall on the other side of town. Precisely where Presello’s used to be. A shopping mall struggling to recoup it’s investment because it failed to understand what made Knysna successful. But business is picking up in old Knysna again. It should be obvious what brings people here in the first place. In a word, charm. And Persello’s in Knysna is emblematic of the old Knysna that everybody loves. Step into this lovely little pizzeria and Italian Bistro, the family business of the long time resident Persello family and find out where the magic of Knysna can still be found.

The restaurant has been open since the mid nineteen nineties and could rightly be held up as an example of the level of quality and dedication that brought people from all over the world to come and live within the marvellous Knysna experience. Mama Persello and her sons and daughters have given us fifteen years of great times and wonderful people and they’re still going strong in Memorial square. Which, appropriately enough is the original centre of Knysna.
Wonderful atmospheric décor provides a comfortable and relaxed setting for visitors and locals alike to enjoy the authentic Italian families cuisine and hospitality. It’s a great place to bring the family and discover the people of Persello’s, the people of Knysna.
Whether you like Italian, or are a pizza fundi or not, if you like good food and atmosphere, Persello’s is the place to enjoy yourself in Knysna.

The Thai Kitchen is a small informal Thai bistro serving authentic Thai dishes. The portions are generous and it is a popular venue with the locals. Booking is essential during the busy times and advisable even in winter. For some odd reason everyone seems to eat on the same nights and invariably at the same time. Its just the way things work in this town.