Ōtāne Village Artisan Market: It’s ‘just off the beaten track’

Handcrafted trinkets abound at the Ōtāne Village Artisan Market - just off the beaten track.

In Central Hawke’s Bay there’s a small township that’s going big in the marketplace.

The Ōtāne Village Artisan Market started in April this year, with 15 marketeers. Now, it has a database of 70 marketeers, regularly fields up to 40 at its monthly market and continues to expand.

There has been a privately-run village market in the small CHB township of Ōtāne for more than 15 years, paying a regular fee for the town hall and attracting a loyal customer base.

But when organisers and stallholders decided to call it a day, it left a gap on the village green and in the hall’s coffers.

The hall committee, with refurbishments in mind, decided to revisit the idea of a market, with a view to generating some funds and creating a destination for the community, somewhere for friends and neighbours to grab a coffee, catch up and enjoy some time out.

Fresh produce is abundant - eat under the trees or spirit your purchase home for lunch.

They decided to launch slowly, over winter, when most markets were closed so artisans would be keen to take them up on the offer of a new venue.

The first Sunday of each month (except January and February) was chosen, from 9am-1pm, and after canvassing marketeers and market-goers, they changed the name and the “flavour” of the event, and launched forth.

It was a great success.

Hall committee member Barbara Byford said the smell of the coffee, the lure of artisan products and produce and the blazing braziers brought out people who hadn’t caught up with each other for ages ... there was plenty of chatter, positive feedback and the marketeers went away and talked to other marketeers and ...

“We were quickly inundated,” Barbara said.

“That’s when Bronwin [Boswell] stepped in with her experience and skillset. I told her ‘we’ve created a monster! It was so much work.”

From April’s beginning, with 15 marketeers, the Ōtāne Village Artisan Market database swelled to 70 artisan marketeers.

Not just jams - organic locally made jams and preserves.

One point of difference for the Ōtāne Village Artisan Market is that the products and produce on sale are handcrafted and the artisan is on-site, answering questions, taking orders and interacting with the market-goers.

The range of producers and sellers at the market is extensive, with lashings of food from cheeses to cheesecakes, fresh-baked ciabatta, focaccia and donuts (from just across the road), cakes (from just up the road) to vegetables, eggs, organic jams and of course coffee.

There is local organic skin-care and body-care, glass and wood art and creations, quilts, braziers, upholstery, garden art, decoupage and handmade children’s clothes. There’s even a children’s author and storyteller.

“It’s a good market,” says Barbara.

Each month there is a market space available for free, for local fundraising, which has been taken up by several schools and sports teams choosing to run sausage sizzles.

“There’s nothing quite like the smell of sausages cooking to draw people along,” says Barbara.

Handcrafted toys join the ranks of children's clothes, knits and unique gift ideas.

The committee has sourced funding from the CHB District Council for a three-phase power outlet for the food trucks, which has done away with the need for noisy generators. Kiwi Kanz has also donated a rubbish bin and pick-up.

Bronwin says one of the great things about the Ōtāne Village Artisan Market is that it really is just off the beaten track.

“It’s becoming a destination - we have people coming from all over. Customers and artisans.

“But the best thing is there is such an amazing vibe. I can’t explain it. Maybe it’s the live music, the venue - the people, the village feel ... we’ve added tables and people sit and eat and talk, there’s just a lovely ambience.”

Bronwin says she’s interested to see how the market grows. “We want to bring artisans in from Auckland, Wellington. It will take a lot of work but that is my vision - to make it a destination. Think of Martinborough and the hundreds of people who attend.

“We have kept the market space prices down, to support the marketeers. They spend hours and dollars honing their skills and doing courses and buying materials. They deserve our support.”

The funds from the market are earmarked to refurbish the hall, specifically the kitchen, and add a commercial oven to help cater for the weddings and functions held there.

“We have crockery and cutlery for 300 people, Centralines has provided us with a new fridge and freezer ... now we want a shiny new kitchen to go with it,” says Barbara.

“The Ōtāne Village Artisan Market is doing great things for the hall, and for the community.”