On Sunday we took five days old Aoife on her first outing just down the street from our house in White Gum Valley to visit Stackwood’s “Made Local Market”.
Stackwood which is not surprisingly on the corner of Stack and Wood Streets is a great little space in the emerging arty Knutsford Precinct. It’s a space for creative entrepreneurs, emerging businesses and makers.
Last weekend they had an open market focused on local makers, and had stalls selling locally made gifts and wares such as ceramic planters, artist prints, textiles and jewellery
It was great and it reminded me of the emerging creative economy that Fremantle has built up over recent years of locally made, bespoke and unique goods.
It’s not just happening in Stackwood but at MANY 2.0 and MANY 000 new spaces in the old Spotlight and the Old Police complex, at Common Ground on High Street, at the Fib on Blinco Street etc etc.
Freo has become a hub for makers, for those who want authenticity and sense of passion that can’t be replicated.
There is growing demand for locally made and authentic products. High quality authentic businesses are performing exceptionally well and can get away with charging a premium versions of a product, simply for the buyer experience and quality on offer.
As high street guru Gilbert Rochecouste says:“It’s the whole slow food, slow cities, slow concepts; it’s all built around handmade, hand curated…” I’d add to Rochecouste’s approach words like bespoke/distinctive/local/layered/unique…you get the picture. The future of Freo is doing well at what the big box shopping malls will never be able to match.
Freo’s always about doing it a bit different and glad Aoife got to have this as her first outing – although she did sleep through a lot of it!
