In its second year, the Lennox Community Market has become firmly entrenched as a regular event in Lennox Head. With various produce stalls, including an extensive fruit and vegetable stall, olives, fresh and dried mushrooms, and locally produced honey, to name just a few, we attract a regular monthly attendance from the locals.
While the Summer months were fairly quiet, the hot weather is a significant deterrent as the site becomes very hot, open, and exposed. The food court is generally well attended and packed during the cooler months. With a good variety of hot food stalls, drinks, and desserts (Mama Bear’s cupcakes and the Shaved Ice are a big hit with the kids), the word has gotten around that the Lennox Market is a great place to come and hang out, enjoy some fantastic local music and get a good feed at a reasonable price.
We maintain a good variety of stalls to keep the market exciting and appeal to various visitors. We have been developing an area as a second hand and recycled section, and it is working well.
We have several sites allocated to local community groups: Lions, Ballina Refugees, The Lennox Heritage Society, and others from time to time. We also sometimes provide space for local sporting teams, such as the Jr Rugby Club and the Netball Club, for fundraising. We also have a charity of the day.
I feel supporting these community groups and the local stallholders is the primary purpose of a community market. In this regard, we achieved, if not surpassed, expectations.
I love being involved in this market; the responses I receive from local residents and visitors are overwhelmingly positive.
I think the Lennox Market has made a very positive impact on the area.
While the market is limited in its income-generating capacity due to the limit on stalls we can accommodate, we have been able to negotiate a substantial reduction in site fees thanks to the support from Ballina Council, allowing us to operate on a minimal budget.
Last but definitely not least, a huge acknowledgment to Georgie, Mark, Mohammad, and Colman, who are hands-on on the day, and Kristina and the media team working in the background, who, without their help, would not be able to make Lennox Market the success it has been.
Also, a big thank you to our previous Markets Manager, Kate, who has been there to support, mentor, and smooth out the wrinkles. We don’t know what we are going to do without her.
