5 Reasons to Shop at your Local Country Market
Mapleton Country Market is one of four monthly markets along the Blackall Range. On the fourth Saturday of every month, local vendors from the region gather on the oval at Mapleton Hall and Sportsground to showcase their fresh produce, handcrafted items, delicious food and a whole lot more.
But if browsing market stalls in the sunshine with a coffee in your hand isn’t enough reason to visit your local market – read on for why it’s important to support this wonderful resource.
1. Supporting your local market builds your community
Your local community is made up of your family and friends, your neighbours, your kid’s music teacher.
Supporting these people when you shop, or just bumping into them as you browse, builds strong connections and fosters a sense of community.
You become part of an environment of people who support and care about each other – who are there for you when life gets tough.
When you shop at your local market (and other small, local shops), you make friends, and shopping becomes a sociable activity instead of a drudge. It also makes for a safer and happier community!
2. Supporting your local market strengthens the local economy
When local small businesses are successful, the economy of the whole community is stronger.
Thriving local markets have a knock-on effect in the town they operate in, encouraging people to visit other local businesses at the same time. This can provide more local jobs and services and means you don’t have to travel so far to get the things you need.
Your neighbourhood becomes a more attractive, safer, and desirable place to live!
3. Friendly service
Country markets are built on trust and reciprocity, looking to the future welfare of the community, not just the bottom dollar. This means stall owners treat their customers well because they want them coming back for more.
Most stall owners love a friendly chat, and there’s nothing better than when they knock a bit off the price because your child didn’t bring enough pocket money!
4. Local markets make more interesting neighbourhoods
Local markets add character to towns in a way that big chain stores and supermarkets never can.
Whether it’s quirky hand-crafted goods, organic vegetables, or artisan, locally-made sourdough bread, a market full of small, local business people is a joy to visit.
Country markets also encourage visitors from outside the local community and can become a popular place for tourists or nearby city-folk to come for a weekend break.
This further fosters the local economy and sense of community as well as building lasting memories.
5. Local markets empower local people
When you shop at your country market, you’re supporting local entrepreneurs. You help empower people to make money doing what they love, while supporting themselves and their family.
When you support this kind of entrepreneurship, you also support all the amazing life skills and learning curves that go with it.
You encourage collaboration and confidence, thinking outside the box – being a thought leader.
In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to support your local market and other local businesses that are the foundation of a strong community.
If you’d like to visit and support the Mapleton Country Markets, you can find out more here.
Mel Shieldhouse is a freelance copywriter and content creator on the Sunshine Coast. She specialises in helping busy, heart-centred entrepreneurs attract their dream client. If you’d like to work with Mel, you can contact her at Teacup Copy.
