Shopping around

I’ve discovered a new word – at least new to me. Shomplex! At first I thought it was a language malfunction between me and my informant, but Google has heard of it too.

It seems – or so I’m told – that Henley on Klip is about to acquire a shomplex, a small shopping complex, between Montagues and the Total Garage.

We called in the other day and were given permission to inspect one of the tiny houses going up in two tight rows of six, twelve in all. The living space is miniscule, but there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms; adequate starter homes, I suppose, but decidedly low cost. It will be interesting to see what kind of finish they will be given. Most of the walls are single brick only.

There is room for another two rows of houses, but, no, apparently that space is reserved for the shomplex. What kind of retail, I wonder?

Further down Henley Drive, Dave Anthony has big plans for his property. We called when Henley Hardware was busy crossing the road and were shown the new premises, phase one. It’s can’t be easy moving a hardware store with all the bits and bobs and shiny things, but it will be pleasant when it’s all hung, shelved and stacked.

Phase two, Dave told us, is the garden centre which will neatly complete his vision of a lifestyle centre which could even include a putt-putt course. Imagine, the kids putting, the men browsing among the spanners and the women in the garden at About Time with coffee and cake! To complete the picture there could even be a nook where the Lions can house their second-hand books.

That, of course, leaves a rather large gap across the road. What does Henley need? A launderette comes to mind, or possibly a pet store selling dog food and pet products; not puppies and kittens, I trust. There are enough of those around. I could use a pharmacy in the village, but that’s probably shooting at the moon.

At the other end of Henley Drive, the big new development before the bridge seems to be sitting still. There hasn’t been action there since the last roof went on. High density, not low cost, I was told firmly, but I haven’t managed to count them; are they singles or duplex? They all look the same, my eyes blur and I keep getting a different number. We also inspected an official white paper on the wall giving notice of zoning for educational use. Is Henley getting another school?

I wonder …

See Henley Hoopoe at www.henley-on-klip.co.za

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