Creative Meander Valley residents were able to showcase their wares at the inaugural Carrick Social Group winter market on Saturday.
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Organiser and Carrick Social Group leader Kate Phillips said post-COVID lockdown served as a chance for the Carrick community to venture out and revitalise its community through events such as the market.
"This would actually be a good time to begin that process now that people are starting to leave their homes," she said.
"Carrick hasn't had a regular market for many years ... I've been a resident here for about nine years now," Ms Phillips said.
"I decided that it was high time we started to bring the community together in a market sense and support local businesses around the Meander Valley area, from Carrick, Hagley, Hadspen and beyond."
With about 300 people making their way around the market throughout the day, Ms Phillips said she hoped this meant the possibility of more markets in the future.
"We were very pleased with the numbers that were involved today ... we had a good variety out there today," Ms Phillips said.
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About 12 stallholders attended the event, displaying a myriad of products from clay and ceramic statues, local jewellery, fudge and even doggy treats.
One noteworthy stallholder was Sarah Moss and her two-layered cotton face masks.
Ms Moss was a regular at markets pre-COVID, selling homemade reusable shopping bags. Now her business model has shifted to masks.
She said over the last few weeks she's be inundated with hundreds of orders on her Facebook page, particularly from Victoria.
But it was the social aspect of a market that Ms Moss missed, making the winter market a welcome sight.
"It was lovely to be back out and seeing people because that's something you really miss when you've been inside for months," she said.
Ms Phillips said the masks were one of the standouts of the day.
"They were a huge hit ... I think they sold about 30 of them," she said.
Ms Phillips' business, which sells eco-friendly clothing, also experienced success on the day.
"I even had a lady come out from Hobart who knows about my little business, she drove here and drove straight back in a four-hour round trip," she said.
"I decided that it was high time we started to bring the community together in a market sense and support local businesses around the Meander Valley area, from Carrick, Hagley, Hadspen and beyond."
- Kate Phillips
The Carrick Social Group is a recently established group aimed at reinvigorating Carrick's social scene.
Ms Phillips said given the growth in families in the area, establishing the group made sense.
"We're getting a lot of new, fresh faces and from a social perspective Carrick hasn't really had a social involvement group," she said.
"Our social media platform has spread the word near and far ... we've been very fortunate to have people that wouldn't normally have come out our way to experience our little town."