The Mill Markets are a cornerstone of the Geelong region, breathing new life into classic pieces as well as offering a range of modern items, for both avid collectors and curious shoppers alike.
Recently, we sat down with Geelong businessman, and market owner, Mark Ward, to chat about the market’s origins, what’s on offer and what we can expect to see moving forward.
When Mark first purchased the business in 2012, it had already been established for 5 years in Geelong, with other outlets opening up over a period of time, including Daylesford and Ballarat. When he first came across the business, he immediately saw the potential and the opportunities for growth, not only for himself, but for his stall holders and their valued clientele.
Right from the very beginning he and his team worked incredibly hard to create a new culture of community, family and inclusiveness, to become a place that everyone wanted to work and operate their business from, and also to bring in a variety for their customers. Working from the very foundations, he gradually increased the stallholder take-up from around one third of stalls filled, through to full capacity.
This task was not easily achieved, and he is the first to admit this, as he shared with us the high level of hard work and commitment that is involved, in not only creating this atmosphere, but also in maintaining it.
He achieved this through promoting a strong positive culture and environment, and with strong word of mouth, it wasn’t long before business owners were reaching out to be a part of what he had created. As of today, the stall holder wait list is around 6-12 months long, with over 120 businesses awaiting a prime spot, and around 350 stallholders currently operating.
Over time, Mark made the decision to sell the Ballarat portion of the business, so he could focus solely on Daylesford and Geelong. A decision that has paid off, as both of these locations are now incredibly successful, bringing in around 50,000 customers in each month, with a mix of locals, regulars and tourists.
Speaking with Mark, you can clearly see the great relationship he has with his staff and his stall holders, ensuring they are well looked after, have the freedom to run their businesses, and cultivating a safe and family-like atmosphere that they thoroughly enjoy being a part of. He considers them the best of the best, and attributes a lot of the success of the markets to their quality products, personable service and the support they all give one another.
He is also very conscious of ensuring that there is a variety of options available for customers, so that they can not only shop for classic vintage and retro pieces, but also find current, high-quality, new items, including fashion and homewares. Within this concept, he also likes to ensure that the repetitive nature of products and items are minimised, so that there is a wide range of options, and not every stall is the same.
This provides such a fantastic opportunity for shoppers to come through and browse, and become excited about finding great products.
Due to its great atmosphere and range, they do see many repeat customers coming in on a regular basis, who also feel like they are part of the community, chatting to stallholders who remember them by name, and really enjoying their experience.
Mark also shared with us his excitement about the TV series The Block, filming their next series within very close proximity to their Daylesford location. Not only will this mean that the contestants may be popping in and shopping for their homes, but will also see a huge increase in the volume of visitors coming to the area, and visiting the market to check out what’s on offer.
Being featured on television is not new to the Mill Markets team as they have also previously been seen on other series of The Block, along with Postcards and House Rules. While they may not be new to this type of exposure, they remain humble and very grateful for the opportunities that come along with it, especially for the success of their stallholders.
The future of the Mill Markets is incredibly bright with so many wonderful opportunities for growth on the horizon. Mark is very open and optimistic about the potential of opening a new location, one that hasn’t yet been decided, but is very exciting nonetheless. The one thing he is certain of, is that it will create fantastic opportunities for everyone involved, and that he will maintain the same positive, inclusive culture that he has worked so hard to cultivate.
The Mill Markets is open to the public 7 days a week, and they welcome you to visit and browse through their wide variety of amazing products. You can expect to find a huge range of items both old, and new, from clothing and books, through to pottery, jewellery and home decor, amongst many others. There is also a cafe on site at each location, so you can stop and have a bite to eat, or grab a coffee and take a break from your shopping adventure.
A visit to The Mill Markets is an experience not to be missed, so be sure to head on in, spend the day and see it all for yourself.
