Geelong City Market has been an absolute triumph in its first two weeks, attracting thousands of visitors and breathing new life into our CBD.
I was thrilled to join the crowds on 25 October as Little Malop Street central bustled with shoppers, a colourful array of fresh produce and great vibes.
The smell of char grills and street food drifting across Little Malop Street and the chatter and live music combined to create a wonderful atmosphere.
The City’s analysts recorded more than 10,000 visitor movements for the opening market – that’s an average of more than 1000 people crowding the square every hour.
I’ve long been hugely passionate about hosting a market in our CBD – but even I couldn’t have predicted the incredible turnout for the opening event.
Even more excitingly, the follow up market attracted almost as many people, with our team recording 8730 visitor movements on Saturday 2 November.
The buzz and excitement around inaugural events can often draw a large crowd, but when I attended the second market last Saturday, the crowds looked just as big.
So, while it’s still early days, it looks like the Geelong City Market is no ‘flash in the pan’ – it’s here to stay.
And it’s little wonder the market has been so popular – with 40 different stalls selling fresh seafood, delicious pastries, bright red tomatoes, colourful flowers, delectable preserves and so much more, there’s plenty to delight everyone.
The vendors were the stars of the show, providing an incredible array of products enticing people to visit and, as importantly, stay in our CBD.
The Geelong City Market showcases these local producers and what they can offer, while providing a huge boost for their sales.
In the first market roughly half of vendors either sold out completely or sold out on specific product lines, with several underestimating just how big the crowds would be.
Some, like Two Tins Patisserie, had queues several dozen people long all day until they sold out.
But the market’s not just benefitting the stallholders – local traders are also getting a substantial boost.
Bars, restaurants and eateries were packed across Little Malop Street, with shops in Market Square and the surrounding area reporting substantial increases in sales and foot traffic.
I received overwhelmingly positive feedback from retailers, with many comparing their trade that day to the week prior to Christmas.
Even traders as far as Yarra Street were getting boost.
It all happened again on Saturday with a mix of new and returning of stalls, and emerging Geelong singer-songwriters Holly Droomer and Dani Segedinski performing live on the Forte Buskers stage.
At Nisbets Kitchen, join Simon Toohey for masterclasses with breadmaking maestro and fellow former Masterchef Theo Loizou and ‘School Lunch Box dad’ George Georgievski making his beloved Biscoff yoghurt doughnuts.
Will you come to the next Geelong City Market and see what all the excitement’s about?
Bring the family or friends, grab a bite to eat, browse the high-quality produce and products and, most of all, support Geelong’s amazing producers and traders in revitalising our CBD.
For more information visit geelongcitymarket.com.au
