Craft market arrives in Aylesbury
The Aylesbury Virtual Market will be in Market Square today
Aylesbury will now have a regular craft market, and people can visit it today (31 July).
The Aylesbury Virtual Market will be in Market Square once a month during the lead up to Christmas.
It was set up during the first coronavirus lockdown by two Aylesbury mums, Tricia O’Keeffe and Ainsley Humphreys.
They decided to create a Facebook group called ‘Aylesbury Virtual Market’, to allow local businesses to promote their products.
Now, the Aylesbury Market team has offered Tricia and Ainsley the once-a-month slot.
Commenting on the success of the Facebook group, Tricia and Ainsley said:
"We found that many of the Facebook groups didn’t allow businesses to advertise, so we decided to help ourselves and other businesses showcase their products to local people by creating our Aylesbury Virtual Market group.
"Fortunately, the group grew very quickly, and now includes more than 200 businesses and almost 3,000 members.
"Expanding the group from a virtual presence to a physical one is very exciting – and we can’t wait to welcome visitors to our second market on the final Saturday of this month."
Stall holders who will be attending include:
-Patricia’s Sweets
-Halo Crafts
-Two C’s Ladies Fashion
-Savage Crafts
-Bitz & Bobz By Leeanne
-Coral Lace Cakes
-Tammy Jane’s Cards
-Liz Cole Handmade Cards.
Jocelyn Towns, Deputy Cabinet Member for Town Centre Regeneration, said:
"Well done to Tricia and Ainsley for the success of their Aylesbury Virtual Market group, which has clearly provided a terrific platform for gift and craft product sellers and buyers in Aylesbury and beyond.
"Aylesbury Market already has a popular Saturday market, but the addition of this new market once a month is sure to encourage more visitors to the town centre, where they can also enjoy the fantastic selection of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars that the town has to offer."
Meanwhile Paul Kirkham, the Market Manager, added:
"Tricia and Ainsley already had a connection with Aylesbury Market as they had been trading in the market on and off for the past five years.
"Their new venture is a great opportunity for those businesses who have been trading online to come and meet their existing customers face-to-face and sell to new ones.
"I’m sure this is going to be a wonderful addition to the market and we wish them every success."
People can find out more about trading on Aylesbury Market by emailing Paul at Paul.Kirkham@buckinghamshire.gov.uk .