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MILLTHORPE is one of Orange’s favourite tourist destinations, and starting this Saturday, visitors will have another reason to make the 20-minute drive.
The Pym Street Markets will be held on the first Saturday of every month behind the Millthorpe General Store and are a welcome addition to the village’s economy.
Millthorpe Village Committee treasurer Randall Edwards said although sales in the retail sector, like everywhere, were low, business confidence in the village is high.
“We have had a few new businesses starting up and nearly all the shopfronts are occupied,” he said.
“The weekends are always busy with visitors coming out for coffee and cake and taking in the village atmosphere.”
The biggest growth in membership of the Millthorpe Village Committee has been with service industries that are now operating in the town.
“We’ve had new members including electricians, weed sprayers and massage therapists join in the last few months,” Mr Edwards said.
The new Pym Street Markets are the brainchild of Elwyn and Elizabeth Lang, owners of the Millthorpe General Store, who say the ideas was borne from locals looking for a venue to sell their produce.
“There are a number of locals who have been asking us about selling their jams, bric-a-brac and plants, so we thought that a monthly market would fit the bill,” Mr Lang said.
“It’s simply another reason for people to come out to Millthorpe and get something that the other stores in town don’t provide.”
The first thing they had to do was find a venue in the town that would lend itself to a market without causing traffic problems.
The answer was, literally, in their own backyard.
“We have a small backyard that opens up to Pym Street and it’s a terrific spot for a small intimate market,” Mr Lang said.
“Produce will include locally grown plants, fresh bread, cakes and biscuits, jams, fresh garden produce, chocolates, bric-a-brac and even bags of manure.”
The markets will run from 9am until 1pm just behind the Millthorpe General Store on Pym Street this Saturday.