Market to showcase small businesses

INDEPENDENT designers, artists and creators will gather at the Mining Exchange next month to celebrate small business and ethical trading.

The Design Exchange Market includes more than 60 designers and performances from local musicians.

This will be the 16th year of the initiative in Ballarat.

“I am really blessed, and I feel grateful that Ballarat has supported the Design Exchange,” founder Lyndelle Flintoft said.

“Every year we just keep getting more and more people coming through and we get visitors from Melbourne.

“People know the Design Exchange as somewhere where they are always going to find something of great quality.”

For the first time, the Design Exchange Market is collaborating with the Big Thrift Market with second hand clothing, records, furniture and more on offer.

Ms Flintoft said the addition of the thift market provides attendees with another opportunity to shop sustainably.

“It’s all about shopping local, shopping sustainably,” she said.

“[Thrifting] is such a big thing at the moment which I think is amazing because we all need to think about shopping sustainably.

“Our whole overall vision is to stop people buying $10 tops at Kmart and then throwing them away the next season.”

The Design Exchange Market will be on July 5 and July 6 from 10am until 3pm.

Entry costs $5 for adults or is free for children.