Traders and shoppers full of praise for new market

TRADERS and customers believe the new Henley Christmas Market could be expanded following a successful first week.

A variety of local artisans and makers will fill 10 alpine-style huts in the Market Place with their seasonal crafts and gifts until next Sunday.

They surround the decorated 30ft Nordmann fir tree, which was lit up by Dame Mary Berry during the Christmas festival two weeks ago. The huts themselves are decorated with lights and banners.

The market was set up by Henley Town Council with support from creative companies the Creative Duck and the Maker Space.

The town’s regular markets are also being held at the same time. The farmers’ market will join tomorrow (Saturday), followed by the craft market on Sunday. All three markets will run on December 19.

The Grinch will add a touch of playful mischief to the celebrations, dropping by the markets next
Saturday.

Tracey Westall-Reece, 42, a textile teacher and maker from Whitchurch set up her stall, Red Kite & Doe, on Wednesday and Thursday.

The mother-of-three sold handmade bags, water bottle covers and cushions.

Mrs Westall-Reece, who started her business as a hobby more than 10 years ago, said: “I make everything myself because I love sewing and fabric. It started as a hobby and developed into this whole thing. I have been doing it since my kids were little for some mental sanity and to have a bit of me time.”

She hoped that the market could become an annual feature of the season in Henley.

Mrs Westall-Reece said: “For a first year, you just never know, it’s like any new event, anytime you join a new collective of stallholders you never quite know how it’s going to turn out and you have to guess what people are going to want.

“Every time I do a market in a certain area, you get a feel for what the people in that area are drawn towards and you make things accordingly. This time, I have done a range of things and will just see how it goes.

“It’s a lovely thing to be part of and it would be so amazing if it became a regular feature and continued to grow.”

Mrs Westall-Reece believes events like this will encourage residents to shop locally and support local businesses this Christmas.

She said: “Henley has the potential to really get behind something like this and for it to become regular. It’s not just a bunch of tat. The Creative Duck and the Maker Space have really worked hard to curate it and try and be authentic in it being a proper Christmas market, where things are handmade. They have done a fantastic job, and it’s not the easiest of jobs to get something like this off the ground.”

Charlotte Bruce, 52, from Frieth, of the Little Felt Emporium showcased her handmade felt ornaments which are made using coloured wool and a needle to create animals such as a festive robin and a penguin.

She said she has high hopes for the market and its success. She said: “Henley is a busy place and I think it’s better to have the market outside than in the town hall because people have to be drawn in. It’s looking really nice with the Christmas tree.”

Milissa Davis, 25, the owner of Tutu Chocolate in Watlington, presented her high-cocoa content handmade chocolates, which included Santa Claus, penguins and tree ornaments.

She said: “We love making the chocolates, it’s definitely a labour of love and we’re really excited to be here. I think we’re all really excited to be here because it’s the first time and a lot of customers and people walking by are surprised and really excited.

“It’s lovely, we’ve had a few people who are going to have stalls later in the week come by and say hello and introduce themselves and look at the set-up. Hopefully, they will continue doing this and we will continue coming and having a stall.”

Her dad, Chris Davis, 58, who helps run Milissa’s business, said they could have doubled the size of the stall due to the “enthusiasm” from stallholders and customers.

He said: “I think the general consensus is that they could have gone bigger and had 20 instead of 10 huts. I think there’s the enthusiasm for having more because you have the space so why not make a bigger event of it?

“I don’t think they make enough use of this space because it’s a completely car-free spot you can put things on, so it’s a unique spot that they can make use of.”

Amanda Waterstone, 49, from Bourne End, will be at the market for four days showcasing her self-designed sparkly hair accessories, including headbands and hair clips.

She set up her business, QueenMee Accessories, after she had her eldest daughter.

Ms Waterstone said: “I’m all about colour and sparkles, throughout the year but especially at Christmas and my brand is about tapping into your inner queen and finding your confidence.

“I had a jewellery design background, so I started making hair clips sparkly so I could feel good in my new life. It was a new chapter, but I wanted to feel like myself, so adding sparkles to hairclips felt like the right thing to do.”

Ms Waterstone said the traders have embraced the festive spirit by working together. She said: “There are loads of preparation involved with setting up a market. I’m here for four days so you have to make sure you have the right stock and equipment and that you’re going to have the right heights on the stands, so it’s always a bit nerve-wracking.

“There’s a great spirit of camaraderie with the other traders. I didn’t have the right lights, but someone gave me some clip-on lights that you can use to light jewellery up, so all of the other traders have been really helpful.

“I love Henley because the people are always supportive and friendly and it’s a really welcoming place.”

Liz Steedman, 32, an events director who lives in King’s Road, Henley, attended the market with her baby and dog Ted on Wednesday. She said: “I had a baby six months ago, so it’s harder to drive further, and it’s nice to have different companies on your doorstep to get things for Christmas. Buying local is always nice.”

Ms Steedman said the selection of stall holders was “perfect” for her. She said: “I’m into candles and nice smells and that type of thing and there is a children’s stall so for me, it actually ticks all the boxes.

“For the first year, they’ve done a really good job. It would always be nice to see more but there’s nothing worse than seeing empty ones, so I would prefer them to have less and fill them than more. For next year, it would be nice to have some food stalls and some mulled wine.”

Paul Carey, the town centre manager said he was pleased with how the market looks and hopes it will be successful.

He said: “For the first time this year, I wanted to introduce a Christmas market. It’s been a steep learning curve in bringing together all the moving parts and thanks to the amazing Creative Duck team Nicola Nott and Sarah Gilbert, who have thoughtfully curated the artisan makers and stallholders, we have Henley’s first-ever Christmas Market.

“The idea was for the stalls to offer something different from the fantastic high street shops we have here and I think we’ve achieved that on the whole.

“Hopefully, the market will be a success and it’s the start of making Henley a wonderful Christmas destination.”