Perth Voice Interactive

A MARKET, on a Monday night, beside a busy dual-carriage way road?

When Inglewood on Beaufort first floated the idea of a Beaufort Street market between Sixth and Tenth Avenues on the most tame school night of the week, there were a few raised eyebrows and sneers. But five months on, the market has proved a roaring success and will close for autumn with its head held high.

IOB manager Jeff Atkinson says the market will reopen in August and is planning to expand north, up towards the Inglewood clock tower, and south past Mondo Butchers.

“The venture was a risk, because we were trying an unconventional location on an unconventional night—most markets are held in open spaces at the weekends, not on the side of a busy thoroughfare on a Monday night,” he says.

“But once we blocked off the outer lanes and introduced a 40k speed limit, things started to take off. “We’re now looking at easier ways for customers to cross the road with dedicated crossing points.”

Mr Atkinson says the markets attract an average of 3000 people per night, with attendances peaking at 7000.

“A lot of the surrounding shops have benefited from the extra foot traffic and now open open on a Monday night, when they were previously closed,” he says.

“The aim is to get return customers and attract new people from outside of Inglewood.”

“We’ve got WAAPA students performing and stalls selling fruit and veg and arts and crafts; it’s not just prepared food,” he says.

Mr Atkinson says IOB will debrief over the next few weeks.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK