Same market, new tricks

Creative Queenstown Arts & Crafts Market in Earnslaw Park is having a refresh after more than 35 years in operation – there’s a new market manager on board, Brigit Van der Kaag, and it will now be going by simply, Queenstown Market.
Over the years the market has moved a few times. Starting its life on the Village Green before moving to Earnslaw Park it now spans the waterfront from the park to the end of the mall. Brigit took over after herself working a stall for several years.
“I got shoulder tapped. I’ve been a stallholder myself at the Remarkables Market, and then I stopped when Covid came along. So then this came up and I went, ‘oh, well, I’ll give it a go two days a week – it sounds good, I’ll know what it’s like to be a stallholder, and I love a new project.’ My first one was the markets just before Christmas,” Brigit explained.
Bridgit creates bags from recycled denim under the moniker Mrs Sew & Sew, but she’s put her stall on hold while she focuses on growing the market.
“My idea when I took on the Queenstown Market was that I wanted to just help it grow and help it develop, and if I was a stallholder, I just saw that as a bit of a conflict.”
The market runs every Saturday and is a hub for budding and established arts and crafts enthusiasts. It has been a great launching platform for local artists, and many people make their living from the stalls. Wares available include everything from soaps and skincare to jewellery, wood products, artwork, and clothing, all of which are handmade by the person selling it.
“It was started as a way of people making a living in Queenstown as an alternative to other things, and giving people an opportunity to sell to the public without having to be a retail store themselves. We’ve got people who have been coming for 30 plus years, with a huge range of ages and a big diversity of wonderful products,” said Brigit.
Queenstown Market is a non-profit and everything that is made from stallholder fees goes back into the community. Brigit has big plans to work with Te Atamira and hold workshops to help some of the artisans who want to make their life work around their skills, rather than having to work to do their art. The latest member of the market to branch out is Jasmine Clark, who was the previous manager of the markets.
“She’s a very successful artist in her own right and she started at the market, and now she’s just doing it. She’s somebody that I see as a way of showing what you can do if you start in a market, get used to what you’re selling and what you’re doing, developing and finding out what you actually like, and what people want.”
Brigit really cares about her marketeers, as she calls them, and wants to see them all achieve their goals.
“I think our market is a wonderful vehicle for people to show their talents and I am hoping to help New Zealand artists’ to increase their profile through attending our markets and thereby creating a pathway to becoming full-time artists, while also supporting those who make a living through the markets.”
You can visit Queenstown Market every Saturday along the waterfront from Earnslaw Park. More information on how to be a stallholder and what’s on offer can be found at queenstownmarket.com