Valley Market becomes a pop-up

The popular artisanal SPAR Valley Market is undergoing exciting developments and will now be a pop-up enterprise at different venues around Port Elizabeth.

Bay charity Love Story, the organisers, have received numerous invitations from other events.

“They want us to set up our market in partnership with their events,” Love Story founder Elaine Watson said.

“We also found that the public were asking for an outdoor venue, especially for the summer weekends; somewhere where there is space for kids to run around and be outdoors.”

The first pop-up market took place at the second edition of the popular Valley Concert at Hopewell Conservation Estate in March.

Visitors enjoyed a variety of food and drinks stalls, as well as a kids’ fun village with jumping castles.

The event enjoyed its first outdoor summer venue at the recently refurbished Donkin Village at the end of January.

“We have a few other tentative locations planned but watch this space for exciting developments,” Watson said, adding the market would probably take place every quarter.

“New additions will be dependent on the event we partner with, but it’s the spirit of the Valley Market to keep reinventing and bringing fresh new ideas to each one.”

The benefits of the new pop-up format for the market include the ability to diversify products, as well as target markets. “By moving from one place to the next we are able to draw our usual target market but also draw from new demographics,” Watson said.

“With more space we are able to have more as well as new exhibitors on board.”

All proceeds from ticket sales will continue to go to the charity organisation’s feeding schemes. Follow the Valley Market – Port Elizabeth Facebook page to find out when the next pop-up event will take place.