Opened in June 2015 on the site of the former Faan Smit Park, a municipal park that had fallen into disrepair, 27 Boxes is described as South Africa’s first shipping-container retail centre, with the redevelopment only approved in 2014 after years of community debate. Its lease requires roughly a third of the site to remain public park space, and today it houses boutique shops, restaurants, cafes, a bakery, a bookshop, a music store, art galleries and a nursery, plus a small upper-level park with a playground and indigenous gardens. It’s well known for its regular night market, and after a revitalisation that began around 2019 it has become a firm favourite in Melville for browsing, eating out and catching a market-day event.