E-shed markets vs Fremantle market and Fremantle council

Hi Sonya,

I thought I would give you an update on some of us ex stallholder. We are VERY happily trading at E Shed markets: Scotty, Gerry, Sue, Billy & Fan, Richard and Myself. The management actually greet us with 'good morning' when they walk around the markets (yes, actually walk amongst the stallholders). Each week I have been at the E Shed the manager and/or property manager have approached me to enquire how the business is going and if there was any thing they could help me with. They also talk to other stallholders, listening if they have a problem (and then endeavouring to solve that particular problem) or asking for any input on how to improve the markets. Amazing!

This management are working towards filling the void the Freo Markets has left in the community. They are welcoming new stallholders without evicting old ones. They are building a market for locals to wander through (wondering what is around the corner for them to discover) a market where friends can meet or bump into each other, a markets where you can spend time enjoying yourself wandering through the diverse stalls, or a market to sit for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a coffee and cake. We as stallholders are excited about the improvements and the positive attitude surrounding us at the E Shed markets.

I have also been approached by many customers, locals, and out of towners who express their sadness about how the Freo Markets are looking at the moment and of how the ex stallholders have been treated. They vow they will never set foot back in the Freo Markets and will be shopping at E Shed and supporting us all here.

I went to the council meeting last night and attached are a few comments I emailed to Georgie Adeane;

Hi Georgie,

I thought I would email you and give you my thoughts on last night’s meeting.

I’m pretty much a novice at this sort of thing and the procedures of Council meetings, so I must admit I don’t really understand a whole lot of what is going on. For example when the Mayor suggested going for dinner the first time, I think about 8.30-9pm, some of the Councillors suggested they jump ahead so as not to keep the people waiting any longer than needed and the Mayor agreed with this. The mayor then jumped ahead to item # 1002 which was debated for more than 45 minutes. Although I found it interesting I was also puzzled as to why Item # 1002 was discussed before Item # 1001. When this debate was finished, about 10pm, the Mayor then strongly suggested a break for dinner again, even though we were still sitting & waiting for item #1001, which to my mind was quite rude of him considering he had agreed before to not keep people waiting unnecessarily & he could obviously see we were still waiting. Thankfully he was out voted. This may seem a petty point, but for me I felt he was being pointedly inconsiderate.

Listening to some of these Councillors speak I was gobsmacked that one of them actually admitted that to ‘his knowledge’ only one stallholder had been evicted. Where has he been for the last 6 months? I would have thought as a councillor he would have felt it his responsibility to keep up to date on an issue affecting the community as much as Freo Markets issue has been. Does he not feel embarrassed to actually have said what he said? Also, beside the fact that more than one stallholder has been evicted, it is a very small line between total eviction and being evicted from a stall you paid a lot of money for and being offered a lease for an unsuitable, smaller stall in a back area near the toilets. He commented some stallholders had not taken up a lease they had been offered, it would be similar to him having invested time and money to be an elected member of council and being told by the mayor his seat was now delegated to the lobby during Council session. I actually could go on and on disputing what he said but I know you ask the same questions.

One more point I felt strongly about was another of the Councillors mentioned that ‘Council had no obligation to ex Freo Market stallholders’.
‘It also does not have an obligation to find other premises for their businesses.’
Amazing that they feel they have an obligation to the pine warehouse tenant but not to ex stallholders of the Freo Markets. 41 of them who have helped build the markets into the most popular markets in the state, or at least they used to be. The many businesses that have left the markets attracted customers into Fremantle who would have payed to use council facilities, and spent money at other businesses in the vicinity of the markets. And Councillors think they have no obligation to these people who are no longer at the market. Have any of these Councillors been through the market lately? Are they aware many locals will not support these markets? Is he aware many customers in the surrounding areas no longer support the markets? Is he actually aware of how few people purchase goods at the markets now? Is he also aware of the ill feeling towards the markets by the people of Perth who have been keeping up to date with what has been happening at the markets?

We sat and listened to a debate on the farmers market and heard that council does not want to lose these markets, but if you think about it, the number of stallholders lost out of the Freo Markets is equivalent to a farmers market and these stallholders lost to the Freo Markets are all stallholders that were popular with the people who visited the markets every week, and because it was in the centre of the town these were the people who paid for parking and then went on to buy a coffee or have lunch or breakfast at one of the other business along Markets St. This was for 3 days not just for 1 morning. Again these ex stallholders were more valuable to the economy of Fremantle than a farmers market.

I’m not trying to disparage the farmers market, more trying to give a comparison.

Most of the ex stallholders were permanent tenants, which should be a consideration, as any market that does not have lock up facilities would not be appropriate.

Georgie to be honest I am now at the E Shed Markets, as are a few other ex Freo Stallholders, and I am very happy with these markets and the management. Although I am making very little money it is a much nicer atmosphere and a lot of locals have expressed their support for myself, the E Shed and the other ex stallholders now also at the E Shed. I personally don’t feel an urgent need for another market at the pine warehouse but if it should eventuate as a market I would love to be part of it and will also support any other stallholders who do have an urgent need to lobby for this.

Many thanks for you support and I look forward to speaking to you again in the near future.

(Name withheld on my advice)
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