Reports of the death of the Smalltown Small Town Small Market have been greatly exaggerated as, although the original organisers have pulled out, the traders have decided to join forces to continue to run the event in the town.
Trader Jean Bean said “We are going to continue the market ourselves and are forming a new independent co-operative of producers. We know residents and visitors to Smalltown love having a regular market in the town, so we have formed a new group, which will allow us to cut out the middle-man and continue to trade in Smalltown.
Just because the operator couldn’t make money from the market doesn’t mean that we and our shoppers should miss out. We will be running it as a not-for-profit venture, and in an indoor location, so we don’t have to stand outside in the usual Smalltown wind and rain on market days.”
The new markets will be held at the Smalltown Puritan Church on the last Friday of the month except for those with an R in them. They will focus on locally-produced food and local products for local people.