General News
18 April, 2024
Maryborough market closes
Impacted by dwindling stall-holders and diminishing attendance, Maryborough’s popular monthly market has made the tough call to shut up shop. On the first Sunday of every month, IGA’s carpark on Nolan Street would make space for more than just...
Impacted by dwindling stall-holders and diminishing attendance, Maryborough’s popular monthly market has made the tough call to shut up shop.
On the first Sunday of every month, IGA’s carpark on Nolan Street would make space for more than just vehicles — with rows of marquees and vendors turning the space into a retail hub, under the banner of the town’s only regular market.
However, after hosting nearly 20 successful events in the last two years, the Carisbrook Lions Club has deemed the initiative no longer viable.
“We’ve been watching the progress of the recent markets and we’ve found that numbers are steadily declining — we’re not getting as many stall holders and we know that coming into the colder months it’s going to get worse,” the club’s president and Maryborough IGA manager Jefferson Hoober said.
“It’s been a struggle to get people to support the existing stall holders as well so the club decided it was the right time to pull the pin.”
At its peak, the market would attract around 40 sellers, with up to a thousand people cramming the carpark, hoping to bag special items.
Now, organisers are contending with a drastic drop in vendors and buyers alike.
“It’s gone down to a dozen stall holders, which is a bit demoralising,” Mr Hoober said.
“Times are tough for everyone and that’s reflecting in the market too — the way things are, we’re lucky if we even get a couple of hundred people.
“As a result the vendors are in a [tough position] because they’re not even covering their costs so we thought that it was time to put our efforts into something else.”
According to Mr Hoober, while the club will look for new ways to add value to the community, there’s other markets that residents should continue to support.
“We’ve got a few things in the pipeline, we’re keen on trying something different and we’re very grateful for all the [love] we have received from the community,” he said.
“I encourage everyone to also back the markets in our shire that are still running — whether that’s Talbot, Dunolly or Avoca.
“Please support them because if they don’t get that support, sadly the same thing could happen with them down the track and they might have to close.”