Visiting a Christmas market is the perfect way to get into the spirit of things, says Rosie Nolan, organiser of Local Makers Market. Christmas card illustration by Katie Clement
The first event I organised in Wanstead was a Christmas market in 2013. I called it Wanstead Makers Market at the time. I’d just moved to the area and had organised craft markets previously, so thought maybe I could do the same here.
It became a popular and well-attended event, so I then started to find other venues around east London to hold the market. This is when I decided to change the name to Local Makers Market so it was not tied to one location. It has since taken place in Dalston, Hackney Wick and Stoke Newington. Wanstead is the place we hold the most events though and it’s our favourite location!
Wanstead is such a great place for artisan markets as the local community really appreciate handmade products. Many of the visitors to the market comment on the exceptional quality of the stalls and the variety of items on offer. I think the other great thing about Wanstead is that it has a village-like feel and the people here love to attend local events. This is something the traders have also noticed – they always comment on how lovely everyone is in Wanstead! Another reason people enjoy the market is the pop-up cafe, run by local business Herons Nest Bakery. There’s always a queue to get to the fantastic cakes.
The market is curated, meaning a mixture of makers are hand-picked for each event, ensuring different kinds of products and disciplines are on show, such as textiles, jewellery, ceramics and illustrations. Each event also has a range of new stallholders who have never traded with us before. This keeps the markets fresh and interesting.
