22/09/2026
Last week we posted about the Norfolk pine at the entrance to Mainstream Mall. That tree is just one of many historical sites in the Mainstream area that celebrate Hout Bay's past. The charming cottage at its base is another.
This cottage has been in Hout Bay since before 1896. That year, Simon Dorman bought part of the Kronendal farm from William Trautman and opened Dorman and Son, Hout Bay's first general dealer shop, using the cottage as both the store and his family home. The Baviaanskloof stream next to the building once provided water for the house and the vegetable garden behind it. Simon's son Barney looked after the garden and sold its fruit and vegetables to people passing by and to the nearby Pearson's Hotel, aka the Royal Hotel, which is now the Hout Bay Manor Hotel.
If you’ve driven along Mainstream Avenue between The Passageway and Fisherman’s World, you may have seen the patch of bare brick on the cottage wall. This original brick was left uncovered to show and preserve the mud bricks, handmade from Hout Bay clay, that were used to build the wall.
Today, the cottage is home to the Hout Bay Trading Store, right next to the coffee roastery with its home-baked cakes. Inside, you’ll find early postcards of old Hout Bay and shipping lines, maps, posters, bone china, Royal Doulton ornaments, and other pieces of local history. It’s a great place to visit if you’re looking for a gift with a story.
Next time you visit Mainstream Mall, stop by the Trading Store and have a look around. With the postcards, maps, and old photographs on the walls, you can easily spend an hour exploring Hout Bay’s history.
