Camberwell Market

Busker at Camberwell Market

What it is: The market itself is officially the Rotary Sunday Market and consists of almost 400 stalls that people book to sell their stuff.

Where it is: Station Street, Camberwell.

Hours of Operation: most Sundays from 7 am till 12.30 pm (refer to the website for days when it is closed)

What you’ll find: Clothes, clothes, and more clothes. Plus shoes, accessories, furniture, brick-a-brack and food stalls. About half the stalls are young girls selling their old stuff while others have an actual store and sell their new handmade stuff (soaps, jewellery, clothes etc..). There are also oddball stores selling oddball stuff.

Why I love it: Whether you want to buy something old that looks new, new that looks old or old that looks old, you’ll find it here at a bargain. Plus, you can bring your dog, if your dog likes crowds and doesn’t pee on everything.

Sgt Sookie stall # 385

Puppy enjoying all the attention at Camberwell Market

Colourful fabrics at a regular stall at Camberwell Markets

What there is for guys: To be honest, not much. There are a couple of food stalls, furniture stalls, and sometimes there is one stall hidden among the other 400 for men’s clothes.

Furniture stall at Camberwell Market

While most designer luxury items might only be found at or just before 7 am, not everyone will have your particular style and you can find bargains at any hour (until it closes at 12.30 pm). Trust me, you will come home with heaps of awesome crap.

My advice for getting the most out of this giant market:

• look for stall holders that are wearing clothes you like and are roughly your size.
• get there at 7 am if you can and are looking for designer items
• get there at 10 am if you are on a budget, as a lot of stall holders will start to slash their prices
• don’t arrive any later than 11 am, as you won’t have enough time to get to all the stalls
• bring a hat and sunnies as there is barely any shade
• bring a gold coin for entry (goes to Rotary Club charities)
• don’t take your dog if it’s a warm day as there’s no shade and the ground is hot
• get the sweet potato wedges with sweet chilli sauce from the food stall that says falafel on it.

Let me know how you go!

Rose Street Artists Market

Rose Street Market

What it is: A quaint little artist’s market that embodies the feel of Fitzroy with graffiti walls and its own cafe.  Here you can find art, photography, fashion, accessories, home-wares, vintage items, and can even hire a bike here. Don’t forget to say hello to the friendly guy handing out fliers on the corner of Brunswick St. & Rose St.

Where it is: On Rose St. in Fitzroy (side street off Brunswick St.)

When it is: While the cafe opens at 9am on the weekends, the market is open from 11am – 5pm every Saturday & Sunday.

Anything for the males of the world: absolutely! Mostly accessories, homewares, art & photography.

How to get the best from this market:

• The market is very small, and you can walk through it all in less than an hour, so it would be best to visit Fitzroy for breakfast or lunch on Brunswick St. and then pop in to the market
• Visit their facebook page to see details on how to get a free coffee in June
• For upcoming events at the Rose St. Market, check out their blog
• Friendly dogs are welcome
• Let me know how you go 🙂

Upcoming… Round She Goes

Round She Goes is back on this Sunday in Victoria, and I’m hoping my flu will leave by Sunday so I can buy all the pretty old things.

Round She Goes market at Kingston Town Hall

What it is: The brainchild of sisters Emma & Anne, Round She Goes is the market for girls – it even won an award! With 100 carefully selected stalls selling crafty crafts and quality vintage and designer pre-loved frocks & accessories, you won’t find any sportswear or t-shirts here.

Where it is: When in Melbourne, the market is held in the very large Kingston City Hall (a.k.a Moorabbin Town Hall) at 979 Nepean Hwy, Moorabbin, VIC 3189. It is very close to Moorabbin station, and free parking is available on site.

When it is: From 10am to 3pm this coming Sunday (20th of May, 2012). The one after that won’t be until the 9th of September at the same location. For future events, please refer to the website.

Anything for the males of the world: nope!

How to get the best from this market:

• There are communal change rooms available, so wear your best underwear. I usually wear stockings too.
• The market is quite large and you only have 5 hours to shop (assuming you get there on time of opening) so be efficient. Don’t assume you will come back to a stall later.
• It is mostly pre-loved & vintage items at this market, so if that’s not your thing, you might as well give it a miss.
• A stall holder is most likely only going to have one of each pre-loved or vintage item, so if you love it, don’t wait till someone else has bought it to realise it’s the only thing that will make your wardrobe complete (I am still longing for that red glomesh purse)
• Wear something comfortable but makes you feel good – you may get snapped up with your photo on the website
• These guys have a newsletter you can subscribe to and win cool stuff too.
• Bring cash (there is an ATM across the street, but none in the hall).
• Let me know what you got, and check back for my review and photos next week, if I get better in time – wish me luck!

Finders Keepers market

What it is: A free bi-annual independent design & and art market, featuring mostly friendly people selling their new & recycled & occasionally delicious creations.  It changes locations, so check out the website for times & venues, but the blog below is mostly about the event in Melbourne in April 2012.

The poster add is pretty, so I might as well let it give you the Where & When:

Finders Keepers' Pretty Poster

What you’ll find: Lots of cool stuff ranging from colourful helmets, tiny onesies, retro lamps, funky ‘lomo’ cameras and cupcakes to die for.  There are food stalls inside & outside the venue, plus some chairs near a stage with live music to chill out.  Each stall is absolutely gorgeous – it is clear a lot of effort has been put into presenting the brand of the creative as well as in the product.

Finders Keepers market at the Royal Exhibition Building

Kimono Reincarnate designs

Anything for the guys? Yes! There were many stalls that catered to both sexes, but a couple of things I spotted that would appeal to male friends – a stall selling quirky colourful print ties and bow-ties, some jewelry stalls selling cuff-links and unisex jewellery, bags, artwork and prints (some made from recycled records)… and guys like live bands, don’t they?

DarkCloud Silver display at Finders Keepers market

Tips to get the most out of this market:

• Before you head out, check out the websites of those that are holding a stall & know which stalls you can have a play at
• Get some cash out of ATMs as there are none on site, and most stalls won’t have eftpos machines
• If you have one, go with a friend so that you have someone to enjoy the live music with
• Catch public transport/walk/run/cycle there as parking is either hard to find or expensive
• Don’t forget to ask for a business card of a stall you like – chances are you’ll like other products they sell either online or at a store somewhere in the country
• Get the red velvet cupcake from Mister Nice Guy, towards the end of the building. They’re pretty amazing!

And as always, I would love to hear what you thought of the market.