The Dannevirke Town Hall was full of stalls on Saturday for the first Dannevirke Market.
Dannevirke’s community market had a successful trial run at its new venue in the Dannevirke Town Hall.
Market organisers Italia Gooding and Jenny Humphries say they made the decision to relocate following consultation with the community, who clearly indicated they would prefer a market closer to town than the Dannevirke A&P Showgrounds and preferably requiring less walking.
After negotiation with the Tararua District Council, the new venue was approved and last Saturday was the trial run.
It was a huge success, with all the stallholders reporting much more foot traffic and consequently more sales.
One additional benefit was having the Town Hall carpark available for food trucks and other mobile businesses, which was more visible than tucked away indoors.
Italia says the venue is here for good and she invites more people to come in to sell their wares. She also plans to have live music each month.
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Tamaki Nui a Rua, which was running a large stall to raise money for a school adventure camp at the end of the year, set the precedent on Saturday by performing kapahaka items which were much appreciated.
Dave Murdoch is a part-time photojournalist based in Dannevirke. For the past 10 years, he has covered any community story telling good news about the district.