Farm stalls, also known as a Padstal has always been a big part of my life, from traveling with my family as a child to going on road trips with my friends. The nostalgia it carries has always made me feel right at home. The smell of fresh baked bread and coffee! I have been doing research on where the farm stall culture first started but the word farm stall means something different to everyone. Some farm stall owners started it as a hobby to stay busy while their husbands were busy farming and for others it started out of poverty, using the closest outbuilding on their farm to the road, to sell whatever they could produce to make money.

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The beauty behind the farm stall culture has a lot to do with making something out of nothing, using a old farm building, making products out of leftover farm produce, making decor pieces out of old farm equipment etc.

The farm stall has become such a staple element in the South African travel industry that people are not opening farm stalls out of financial desperation anymore, but because of the big market that has grown for it.

The architecture behind some of the new farm stalls are truly breathtaking and exciting to look at. Old brick and rusted barn buildings were the inspiration for the modern farm stall designs we see today. Architects are doing an incredible job by keeping the heritage of farm stalls in mind when designing new farm stalls. The new Wind Farm Stall just outside Port Elizabeth is a great example of the modern farm stall.

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If you ever walk into a farm stall again, take a good look at it. Think about the story behind it, ask the owners to tell you a bit more, I am sure you will be leaving with a good coffee and some amazing stories.

Bren