Expanding the idea of a Public Market

Author: Kate Cook

Recently Fresh State was blamed by the Melbourne Market Authority for resurfacing the contentious issue of having the Melbourne Market open to the public - unfortunately this is once again a result of them not being able to fully grasp the issue at hand.

AT Fresh State, our goal is to assist our members and support their businesses through advocating for a workable and successful market, and unlike the Melbourne Market Authority we have thought about the many different options that are open to this market space being used by the public without negatively effecting those who work here.

One doesn’t have to look far to come up with other ideas for using this massivefacility. With the main market area being used for only 4 hours a day there is a huge expanse of car parking and giant undercover spaces, such as the flower market building and the trading floor, that are screaming out to be used when the market goes to sleep.

To take a leaf out of the Sydney Market’s book, one idea would be to consider running a food truck event at the market once a month.

In Sydney this kind of event brings in a huge crowd of people who may not have known about the market otherwise, through offering gourmet food trucks, plenty of parking, and a family and pet friendly space. Not only is there great food, but the Sydney night market also occasionally hosts an automotive show where rev-heads can display their stunning vehicles in the expansive car parking space of the facility and get attention from fellow car lovers and public onlookers while they sample the food offerings.

Currently our flower market building and trading floor simply collect dust while the market is closed, but what if instead an event like this was held?

The Melbourne Markets would gain a greater reputation and recognition throughout the city which would attract more retailers, it would tap into a popular pastime of the public, and more revenue would be generated that could be put back into developing the market rather than coming out of leaseholder’s pockets.

There is also a great opportunity to use the location of the Melbourne Markets to our advantage and offer our expansive car park, which also spends most of the day unused, as short-term airport parking for the public. The drive from the Melbourne Market to the Melbourne Airport is only 16 minutes, and anyone who has parked there knows that their prices are through the roof, so what is stopping the Market from offering an affordable alternative?

With car services like Uber and Didi on the rise it would be easy to park at the market and catch a ride to the nearby airport, and once again the profits for this could go back into the market.

If the goal is to bring more awareness to the market and attract more retailers while also making a bit of extra income for the market, it is high time that all of the options were thought through and that a solution is found that suits market users without worsening their workload and work/life balance.

As always, Fresh State is here for our members and wants to make sure that their interests are taken care of, and we will make sure to continue to consult our members on matters like these as they come forward.

But the real question is, if we can come up with these simple ideas for using the market space more effectively (and not at the expense of market users), then why can’t the Melbourne Market Authority?