The Market as Metaphor
Oct 27In the late 1950s, it seemed convenient to tear down those trashy old buildings at Salamanca.
Many of you talked about it: what nearly happened. You spoke of how Battery Point was nearly razed to build something more modern and efficient. Salamanca Market and Battery Point are now in Chapter One of every tourist’s guide to Hobart.
Some of you are too cool for the Market because it’s too big and touristy now. Others think it’s a perfect encapsulation of Hobart: shamelessly Tasmanian yet global, fancy and grubby at once, a lovely mess of ambition by the river.
Hobart is a market town, and its markets are incubators. If you want to try something new, and test it on an audience, public markets are an affordable way to take a risk. From your white tent, you can improve your product, develop a following, forge partnerships with other entrepreneurs and, when you’re ready, lease commercial space and even launch your product nationally.
A crucial part of the big city culture and small city scale that we love so much about Hobart rests in its “market town” quality. It works for businesses, for the arts, and for social ventures. We can try something here for curious locals, and for visitors starved of unconventional experiences in a conventional world.
One of you talked about launching a night market in Elizabeth Street Mall, to extend its hours and make it more fun. Someone else talked about bringing mini-markets to other suburbs and providing micro-grants to tinkerers who could be entrepreneurs with a bit of encouragement.
October 27, 2017 at 12:55 pm
MonaI would open up my own Persian kebab shop at the markets! There are plenty of goods that are already for sale (non-food related). People love to head to the markets mainly for the food and to do a quick shop to buy a gift, organic veggies/fruits or the buying yourself the occasional treat!
October 30, 2017 at 1:43 am
AndreaIt would be cool if we looked at our strengths, all of them, and invested in people of all sorts to start businesses in one of those industries. I know a lot of people in the northern suburbs who could start something amazing if they just had the knowledge about how to start a business. It wouldn’t take much. It’s already who we are!
October 30, 2017 at 1:03 pm
TonyThere are many channels to get help – the government provides it and there are many mentors around who can help as well. If you have the idea it can happen.
November 22, 2017 at 4:42 pm
CarrieExcellent idea. The night markets we already have are nothing short of awesome. And there are so many unemployed or underemployed people who are crying out for a way to launch themselves. Make it easy for them! They need connected information on what permits and resources they’ll need. The disconnectedness of the different levels of government, and even different departments of Council, is a challenge to navigate. So are the costs – remember that all the people looking to start a market stall will have low incomes. Maybe a start up grant would help. And cheap stall fees.