18 April 2016 | Lethabo-Thabo Royds

Explore the exciting creative space that is WORK | SHOP | NEW | TOWN at Newtown Junction. The best way to get there, of course, is by hopping on our Joburg Red City Tour and hopping off at stop 15 – the Newtown Junction Mall.

Hop on our Green Tour at The Zone @ Rosebank, which connects with the Red City Tour at Constitution Hill, to explore what the City of Gold has to offer. If you're looking for an innovative retail space where you can browse some of the best local fashion, lifestyle and design brands then WORK | SHOP | NEW | TOWN is a must-visit.

The stores in this space vary: there are a number of fashion stores but there are also food, beauty, jewellery, accessory, and art and craft stores. There are some distinctly South African-inspired fashion brands like Love Jozi  and MaXhosa by Laduma as well as internationallly inspired brands like Amerikana and Aya Goods that sell clothing from this space. The fashion brands are not only for adults, there are also children's clothing stores such as Butter Pudding and KuNa.

There are also specialist leatherware stores like Wolf and Maiden, and jewellery and accessory  stores to suit various tastes. From African-inspired stores – like One of Each and Maria McCloy  – to those that are not as strongly influenced by the African continent – like Famke  and Smith – there's something for everyone.

For the African art and craft lover, there are stores like African Image, Central Original and Live Wire where you can browse antique artefects, textiles and designs made from interesting materials like Kuba cloth, wire and beads. If you prefer a curated design space rather than a specialist store, try spaces like Dr Pachanga and The Kraal that showcase a range of design elements including fashion, visual art and design concepts.

There is also a homeware store, a hair product store, and a cultural intelligence agency.

If you are concerned that you may get hungry while browsing and shopping in all these amazing stores, don't worry as Town is a food and lifestyle place that will help satisfy your hunger.

If you are looking for a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon with your family, try the new PIC | NIC | NEW | TOWN initiative. This Saturday, 23 April 2016, will be the first of many weekly picnics which will take place at WORK | SHOP | NEW | TOWN in the Green Lane. It will be an open family-friendly event where you and your family can spend the afternoon playing games, listening to live bands, browsing pop-up shops, and engaging in various planned activities.

Lauren Bydawell, WORK | SHOP | NEW | TOWN space manager, explains that the intention is to create "a cool space" for people to spend the afternoon. The organisers have taken great care to create a space where "people feel safe enough to bring their kids". There is parking available in Newtown Junction and picnic baskets will be on sale. There will be ample seating for picnic-goers so you only need to bring yourself and your family and/or friends.

The event begins at 11am and ends at 4pm and you can arrive at any time between these hours. Visit the Facebook event page for more information.

You can also visit the WORK | SHOP | NEW | TOWN Facebook page for the latest information and tenant profiles.

Use the City Sightseeing bus as a fun way to get to the picnic while also doing some sightseeing. Just be sure to check our timetable to help you plan a great day out.