By Eleanor Wilson
Berwick residents swapped out exclusive international imports for all things boutique and local on Saturday, at the Berwick Boutique Craft and Food Market.
Presented by Craft Markets Australia, The Berwick market showcased over 60 stalls of completely handmade goods, with everything from sweet treats to locally brewed alcoholic beverages and handmade clothes and toys.
Area warden and social media manager Alyssa Pretorius said prospective stalls undergo a thorough approval process before they are accepted into the boutique market.
“The market is really about your bread and butter local producers, so we take great care to ensure everything is homemade and at least 80 per cent the stall owners product,” she said.
“By coming down to the market, customers know they are supporting a local small business, which is part of what makes it great.”
The market, which is set amongst the beautiful gardens of Berwick’s Old Cheese Factory, is a completely commercial product free event – with not even a coke can in sight.
“Even our food and coffee vans have to provide local products, so instead of commercial soft drinks there are drinks on offer from small businesses,” Mrs Pretorius said.
Highlights of the market include homemade jewellery stalls, hand-knitted baby clothes, hand-carved chopping boards, garden products such as plants and succulents and a variety of home baked goods.
Gold coin donations were collected by Berwick District Woodworkers Club, who dedicate their time to making hand-made toys for those in need.
The woodworker’s club is using some of the market proceeds to create toys for Windermere’s Mums and Bubs, a Craft Markets Australia endorsed service that provides skills and support for young and single mothers facing homelessness.
This is the first season of Berwick markets for Craft Markets Australia, who as a company have been operating since 1975 and run an array of markets in Victorian locations including Mount Martha, Portsea, Yarra Glen and Mornington.
Ms Pretorius said the company tries to curate the market stallholders to include a mix of seasoned favourites and new faces.
“We like to mix it up a little bit so the customer has a new experience each time they visit the market,” she said.
“But we also have some regular traders where customers will place orders with them and then collect them at the next market.”
The next Berwick market will be held at Old Cheese Factory on Saturday 28 May.
