Retail

The ‘Cowboy Town’ shopping mall in South Africa’s richest city

Kirsten Minnaar • 14 June 2026

Tucked away in Krugersdorp is a retail experience unlike any other – a Wild West-themed town complete with more than 50 speciality stores, restaurants, live music, outdoor markets, and classic car shows.

With over 3,000 malls across the country, South Africans are spoilt for choice when it comes to shopping. But even with retail developers expanding into small towns and cities, Johannesburg remains the country’s premier shopping destination.

According to Lightstone, Gauteng accounts for 50% of the country’s shopping centre stops and 32% of total mall visit time.

Johannesburg is home to everything from the designer shops found in Sandton City’s Diamond Walk to homemade goods and curated items, which can be found at any number of the city’s local markets.

The city is even home to the country’s largest mall, Fourways Mall, which spans an impressive 178,000 m².

However, in a quiet corner of Krugersdorp, there sits a shopping centre which is like nothing else in the country – Cowboy Town.

Cowboy Town is a unique Old West-themed attraction located at 1 McLean Street, in Krugersdorp’s West Village. It features more than 50 stores selling antiques, collectables, artwork, handcrafted goods, and other unique items.

Visitors can also enjoy a variety of dining options, including three restaurants, a coffee shop and several food stalls. Cowboy Town regularly hosts events, including line-dancing evenings, military expos, and classic car shows.

Cowboy Town’s markets are especially popular. The centre hosts seasonal markets, such as Christmas and Valentine’s markets, night markets, and its regular Sunday market, which was held 52 times in 2025.

Live music is a major drawcard, with performances taking place every Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday between 09:00 and 15:00.

Entrance is free, and the town is open seven days a week. However, most of its shops, restaurants and attractions operate on weekends and public holidays from 08:00 to 15:00.

While Cowboy Town has bolstered several local small businesses, it has also been growing its own brand. It has over 100,000 followers on Facebook and also sells its own merchandise, including T-shirts, caps, socks, and keepsakes.

On 17 January 2026, Cowboy Town also released its first song, Built on a Sunday, which is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.

Local artisans shine at Cowboy Town

Cowboy Town is not only an intriguing destination for shoppers. For the local artisans and entrepreneurs who have set up shop in Cowboy Town, the centre is often life-changing.

One such person is Dolley, who owns Creative Leather Worx, a shop that supplies goods such as belts, hats, and buckles.

Even though he is now approaching six years of business in Cowboy Town, he never imagined himself opening a business here.

“I never wanted to go to Cowboy Town,” he explained on Cowboy Town Stories. “The reason is because I always got lost.”

“The GPS doesn’t take you to Cowboy Town if you don’t put the proper address in, so I got lost a few times. I said, ‘I’m not going there again.’”

However, when someone finally gave Dolley some decent directions, everything changed. Not only did he love the shopping centre, but the shoppers loved him as well.

“We ended up in the flea market, and it was fantastic. We got so busy that I actually had to do work at home to bring the next week, which I don’t usually do,” he said.

“When we made the belts, and we brought them in, it was fantastic. People were quite impressed with my work.”

Dolley’s passion for working with leather began at a young age, when he crafted items in his hometown of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth.

“We used to do a lot of leatherwork on the beachfront. We would make sandals and bracelets, that sort of thing. I was very young still,” he said.

Even though he stopped actively pursuing leatherwork as he got older, he picked the hobby back up once he retired.

Now, Dolley continues to make a good living pursuing his passion in Krugersdorp’s very own Wild West. “I’m very happy with Cowboy Town. I really am,” he said.