I’ve always had a soft spot for Rosebank Mall.
There was a time when it felt like a treasure trove of small, specialised shops — a proper music store, a tobacconist, a stationery shop that took itself seriously, and, for me, the real draw: men’s clothing stores with character. It had personality. You could wander, browse, and discover things you didn’t know you needed.
After the major renovations some years back, I lost interest. That’s just my view — others will disagree — but it became something much bigger, more polished, more… standardised. Less intimate. More precinct than mall.
And yet, despite that shift, Rosebank Mall still manages to outshine the rest.
At its core, the mall remains strong. The anchor tenants — Woolworths and Checkers — keep things grounded, while a mix of more upmarket stores gives it a slightly polished edge.
But the real magic lies just beyond the traditional mall itself.
The Zone — that open, beautifully designed dining and social area — is, for me, the standout feature. It’s here that a range of top eateries create something you won’t easily find elsewhere. Some of these establishments are unique enough that if you want the experience, you have to come here.
On a recent visit in January, I stopped for coffee at Fugazzi Italian Diner — and I must say, for sheer luxury, it’s in a class of its own. The coffee was excellent, but more than that, the setting stood out: relaxed, stylish, and quietly indulgent.
There’s an atmosphere in that space that’s hard to replicate. On a warm evening, sitting outside, with people moving between restaurants, conversations spilling into walkways, and that steady hum of activity — it feels alive. On a Friday night especially, it comes into its own.
Of course, not everything has lasted.
I was sorry to see that Motherland Coffee Company had closed. It was a solid establishment and, in a way, its absence reminded me of another era — much like the old Herbert Evans art shop that once traded here before moving on and evolving into something else.
And then there were the people and places that gave the mall its soul.
I still remember the second-hand bookshop where John Geleta worked part time— a true gem of a book store. You could find remarkable books there at prices that now feel almost impossible. It was the kind of place you didn’t just visit; you lingered.
John Geleta, of course, also worked at Exclusive Books, including the old Hillbrow store — itself part of a very different Johannesburg retail era.
Then there was John Berry, who ran the Pen Friend — another specialist store that disappeared after the renovations. It’s from that time that I still have one of my favourite possessions: a Lamy Imporium Titanium Fountain Pen with an 18-carat gold nib, which he specially selected for me. It’s a small thing, perhaps, but it speaks to what the mall once offered — quality, expertise, and individuality.
Today, Rosebank Mall is thriving. With close to a million visitors a month, it’s clearly doing something right.
Much of that energy comes from a younger crowd drawn to the restaurants and social spaces — and that’s no bad thing. A place like this needs that vibrancy, that movement, that sense of occasion.
I may miss the quieter, more eclectic version of Rosebank Mall, but I can’t deny what it has become: a lively, relevant, and still standout destination in Johannesburg.
And perhaps that’s the point — malls, like cities, evolve. Not always in ways we like, but sometimes in ways that ensure they endure.
