Finders are Keepers

Tell us a little bit about the market?
The Finders Keepers support independent and emerging designers, artists and musicians. Our aim is to always support and showcase new work at our events.We are a bi-annual event held in Sydney and now in Brisbane, we also plan to launch other new states in 2010. Each market we fuse music with art & design, and feature cafe & a bar. We create a unique atmosphere that has a festival feel and every event is unique.

Our current Sydney markets are held at the amazing contemporary art space CarriageWorks in Eveleigh just a short walk from bustling Newtown in Sydney's inner west. We also have just launched our Brisbane Markets at the beautiful Old Museum in Herston just a short walk from Fortitude Valley in the heart of Brisbane. We love heritage listed old buildings with lots of character and charm! We keep our markets at a grass roots level and they are always free for people to enjoy.



When/why did you start the market?
We originally started small art & design markets in 2007 under Hope Street Markets, in 2008 we re-launched under our own name 'The Finders Keepers' and CarriageWorks came on as our official host.
The markets have significantly grown from where we started and its something that has happened quite organically and we are proud of the what we have achieved!

The markets were started initially from a lack of finding the perfect environment to sell and promote hand made work, as designers starting out with little money to pay for expensive trade fairs or exhibitons we were looking to fill a gap and something we personally found Sydney was not offering. We combined all the elements we loved and what we though would make an ideal and supportive environment. What we created was with blind eyes and open hearts and it worked! We had nothing to loose so we went for it whole heartedly. We never advertised or had any money to put into our events, we relyed on word of mouth and support and we're still to this day non-profit and proud of it!



What is the favourite part about running the market?
Our favourite part is discovering new work that hasn't yet debuted or been seen anywhere else! Little hidden gems that you know are just going to make people happy and have a world of hope and potential in front of them. There is such a thrill to see something come to life and we very much enjoy watching our designers blossom and to start a journey they are just beginning. To know that we may have helped with that, is the biggest thrill for us!
We love seeing the markets come to life, meeting new people, seeing their hardwork and the vibe of the weekend is just amazing. We still pinch ourselves every time!



Why do you love handmade so much?
There is nothing better than owning something you know has been carefully and lovingly made by hand! To know that it's just more than something that has been carelessly mass produced.
There is so much more value in handmade, when its been well made is another good value. Life long products are worth their time and money than what ends up in landfill, they are beautiful often collectable pieces that have more of a soul! Handmade is also supporting local, and also supporting creativity and with that there is so much value.


Name 5 reason why your visitors should attend your market?
1: To see the best mix of new & emerging Australian designers & artists under one roof!
2: We always feature a cafe & bar, as well as live music to be enjoyed by all.
3: To support independent & handmade art & design both locally and nationally
4: To be inspired! and to engage with others
5: We are a free event for all ages & walks of life to enjoy!


Sydney Markets
Friday 4th December from 6pm – 10pm
Saturday 5th December from 10am – 8pm

The inside foyer at CarriageWorks - 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW
The pedestrian entrance is at the corner of Codrington Street and Wilson Street.

For more information visit www.thefinderskeepers.com