Ōamaru Art and Craft Fair organisers are feeling a bit forgotten about, following the upgrade to the Farmers Market space.

Fair organiser Helen More says since the Farmers Market space was sealed by the Waitaki District Council in December last year, the craft fair has been edged out of the space at the southern end of the market. It used to set up the first Sunday of every month and for special events.

“When the council re-did the space, they allocated more to the new area, so that left us with a smaller area, for a start. And then, the lovely asphalting was great, but it also had lines on it for cars, so there were cars left in there overnight.” 

Stall owners were forced to set up between cars, and those who had been designated a space where a car was parked couldn’t use it. The fair has also grown, and some Sundays there can be more than 40 stalls, Helen says.

“So it was really hard to organise.”

The decision was made to relocate to Harbourside Park, the green space north of the children's bike park, where both markets had been operating while the upgrades took place. 

“It was just really difficult and we decided that everybody had enjoyed being over on the grass when they were doing the renovation work.”

Joining up with the Farmers Market had worked well for the fair, because people who regularly attended the Farmers Market also wandered past the craft stalls.

The newly renovated Farmers Market space. Photo: Waitaki District Council Facebook

“We had actually been invited by the Farmer's Market manager, I think it was about 10 or 11 years ago, to join up, because they were small and the craft market was small at that stage, and they thought combining on certain days would be beneficial to both, and it was,” Helen says.

Now the fair is not getting the foot traffic it once did, and earlier this month, on March 2, the road was closed for the South Island Secondary School Triathlon/Duathlon for most of the morning.

“So, yeah, there was some disappointed people around.”

Helen isn’t sure what the answer is, but just wants the community to be aware the market is there and worth making the extra effort to get to.

Natural wool products are one of the many things for sale at the craft fair. Photo: Supplied

She doesn’t blame the council for the predicament, in fact she sympathises with their position and knows it is impossible to keep everyone happy. Market organisers are in a similar position - with some vendors against the move to the new area.

“They're actually trying to do the best by the community as they see fit . . . I mean, it's a big job. They had actually been really helpful in helping us to relocate.

“We were kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place . . . and I think I've realised that it's going to take a while for people to realise that we're over there.”

There are flags out to signpost the market, and organisers are working on new ways of getting the word out they’ve moved. They are also meeting with a council representative in April to brainstorm more ideas.

King's Birthday Weekend in June is the final fair for the season, until October, Helen says.

There are some “absolutely talented people” selling their creations at the market, and it is worth making the effort to get to, she says.

“I can't believe the detail of what people actually make. Some of their wares are absolutely stunning.”

Stalls sell knitting, artwork, photography, painted pots, coats made from re-purposed woollen blankets, and much, much more, she says.

The next Art and Craft Fair is on March 23, the weekend of the Harbour Street Jazz and Blues Festival.