Is it still accurate to call the QVM Night Market a
"market" or is it becoming more and more a night "club"?
This question has been raised by one of our senior market
participants and echoes the sentiments expressed by a night trader who
complained recently on this website about disappointing trading conditions.
This trader said "I'm 40% down on last year’s figures and believe that the
night market has become, and is promoted as, a food/alcohol/ music
night........ I hope QVM can put more emphasis on traders and less on a night
out."
Part of QVMs responsibility is to maximise crowds. But it is
not just as simple as that. There is also a need for the retail environment to
support its traders and getting the right crowd to attend is important. If the
customer expectation is for a night of food, alcohol and music with general
merchandise stalls purely as a side show, we may need to adjust the offer.
QVM has been called many things - a Melbourne icon, a place
for the people, a tourists delight, a foodies heaven, an important cultural
centre, and a community hub. All those descriptions are accurate, but
essentially QVM is a place for retail (and wholesale) business. It is that
business that provides income for QVM in the form of rents and profits for
traders and their families. That is what drives our market.
In
fairness, the official QVM Night Market web page appears to suggest a balanced
offer –
“The original Night Market, Queen Victoria Market’s
Night Market is the place to meet every Wednesday night for global street food,
vintage fashion, eclectic wares, wine bars and live music.
Set beneath the
historic sheds, you will find limited edition pieces ranging from jewellery,
fashion and accessories to homewares, ceramics, prints and more! The Night
Market also boasts one of Melbourne’s most impressive food line ups with over
60 foodies serving up street food from across the globe.”
However, if our correspondents are correct, the reality of
why customers come to the night market falls short of those words. Perhaps we
need to tweak the offer at the Night Market to give more support to non-food
traders. The QVM Night Market has been a success on many levels. It is
important that all traders contributing to the market are able to enjoy some of
that success.