Newbury town centre will soon play host to a new-look monthly Artisan Market, headed by an experienced team focusing on local sellers and produce.
Newbury Business Improvement District (BID), the not-for-profit organisation behind Visit Newbury, is pleased to announce that Chloe and Libby of renARTgades will be taking the lead in organising this popular monthly event.
Their first market is coming to Northbrook Street on Sunday (June 30).
Chloe and Libby started renARTgades while looking into ideas for how local people could find local makers.
They are both small local business owners themselves (Peaches and Tea, and Magpie and the Mob) and while trading together at a local market, they started to joke about the idea of a hypothetical market that visitors would really crave, as it offered something different to the norm.
“There are so many awesome makers and small businesses in the local Newbury area, but because they don’t necessarily have a presence on the high street you don’t know how to find them,” said Libby.
“I wanted to shop with local people, but we struggled to find them online.”
Their monthly Modern Makers Markets have now been running for more than two years, starting at The Globe garden before moving to the Waterside Centre.
“The renARTgades markets are excellent to attend, both as a stall holder and a shopper,” said Jo from Pip and Joy.
“Chloe and Libby work hard to curate a variety of unique small local businesses for each market and nurture a friendly vibe, which makes it a joy to sell at a renARTgades event.”
Two years on, they are now taking over the organisation of the Newbury Artisan Market to bring their vision to a wider audience, with more stall holders and on a bigger scale.
They plan to continue connecting local people with the best local businesses and makers, and each of their Artisan Markets will be carefully curated to ensure the public is getting a good variety of
stalls and can trust that the brands on sale are of high quality.
“Makers, crafters, bakers, artists and street food are just the beginning,” said Libby.
“We want to make this an event for the whole community, allowing local organisations to connect with people, having entertainment and activities for children and families, supporting and highlighting all the amazing businesses and organisations we have in Newbury and the surrounding
area.”
“They are always thinking of new ways to keep things fresh and engaging – both for sellers and the visiting public,” said Ruth and James from Ray of Soap.
“I love the effort that goes into the extra details to make the stall holders and visitors feel welcome and part of the Art and Craft community,” said Tee from Bloom and Bear.
“Having done many different types of markets, there hasn’t been a more friendly or thoughtfully organised one as renARTgades,” said Chessie and Emily from Blind Maggot.
“It allowed us to be seen by a local audience on a regular basis and gave us the confidence to open a small shop on the back of the audience we have built.”
Chloe and Libby are both lifelong Newbury residents, having gone to Park House and Trinity schools before working in the local area as teachers and then embarking on their own small businesses.
Chloe has been part of Newbury Athletic Club for more than 20 years and has organised the Highclere 10k charity race, while also being a prominent part of the small craft business community in Newbury.
While working as an artist alongside her job as an art teacher, Libby has been heavily involved with local creative businesses and organisations in the area since she returned from university in 2012, building connections between her students and creative communities outside of school.
To learn more about the upcoming Artisan Markets, look out for updates on social media by following @newburyartisanmarket, @renartgades and @visitnewbury
For stallholder enquiries contact renartgades@gmail.com
Liam Sheppard, BID ambassador, said: “We are extremely excited for our next Artisan Market taking place on June 30.
“Libby and Chloe, two lifelong Newbury residents, are going to be the team behind our new-look market, where we can be sure to see original and unique artisanal products.
“Libby and Chloe have successfully run Newbury-based markets before, first at The Globe pub, and then the Waterside Centre. On behalf of Newbury BID, we are excited to see what the future holds for our market town.”
