The Finders Keepers Returns to Sydney This Weekend for More Market Magic
above THE FINDERS KEEPERS SYDNEY SS22 BY SAMEE LAPHAM
2023 marks 15 years of market-making by our friends at The Finders Keepers as the iconic event returns to Sydney this weekend at a new venue, The Hordern Pavilion.
We’re proud to be back as the media partner – celebrating all things mindfully made and thoughtfully bought – and while our team can’t be on the ground, you’ll still be able to spot Peppermint goodness all over the Horden! Find piles of mags at the Read and Refresh Lounge – rest your weary market feet, flick through a copy and then feel free to take one home – or spot us as you shop with a selection of debut stallholders: they’ll have copies of our fabulous new issue to give to their first five customers. Remember to look down as you’re wandering around – you could see one of our fabulous flowery decals celebrating our beloved sewing patterns. Be sure to snap a pic!
Tickets for the event this 16–18 June are on sale now (just $6) and when you buy a ticket, you’ll go in the running to win one of five subscriptions to Peppermint! Head to the link here for all the details.
Needless to say, we’re so happy to be just one small part of an amazing weekend of ceramics, art, activities, fashion, food, drink and fun. To get you excited for the first market of the autumn/winter season, we had a chat with a few lovely stallholders you can shop with this weekend!
above THE FINDERS KEEPERS SYDNEY SS22 BY SAMEE LAPHAM
BUY TICKETS NOW!
Bush to Bowl
Tell us a bit about what you make…
Bush to Bowl is a social enterprise aimed at creating a healing space and platform for First Nations peoples by connecting to Country and traditional foodways. We practice our culture on a daily basis by giving back to Country, our mob and the wider community.
Why do you love The Finders Keepers?
We love the support they give to small businesses and that Aboriginal peoples and community are involved throughout – from naming the Country it is running on to involvement in the events.
Aboriginal peoples and community are involved throughout – from naming the Country it is running on to involvement in the events.
What can market-goers look forward to when they visit you at the Sydney market?
They will experience learning and connecting with our culture through workshops and our fresh, dried and pre-packaged produce.
Why is the creative community so special?
It showcases the talented entrepreneurs in our community and their love of dance, art and music which is strong in our Aboriginal communities and culture.
Worthy Cause
Tell us a bit about what you make…
Worthy Cause is a program dedicated to employing vulnerable people who, due to their disability or disadvantage, have not been able to find long-term employment. Through our structured employment program, they can receive a stable income, financial literacy training, emotional counselling, soft-skills development and on-the-job skills-building in an inclusive and safe environment. We just happen to bake amazing cookies too.
Why do you love The Finders Keepers?
The Finders Keepers markets are an opportunity to showcase our products and employment program to our community. We love participating in these events with all the incredible makers and artists and offering the market-goers an amazing experience. These markets offer our employment participants the chance to train for additional hours in the lead-up too.
Creativity allows for new and interesting ways for people to explore what matters to them.
What can market-goers look forward to when they visit you at the Sydney market?
We’re bringing some special new products just for the Sydney market as well as trialling some new experimental products! Our products are made with love by people changing their lives.
Why is the creative community so special?
Creativity allows for new and interesting ways for people to explore what matters to them; to speak up about things that they’re passionate about and find new ways of solving old problems. For us, we’re using cookies to employ the ‘unemployable’ and change the world for the better.
Shabana Jacobson
Tell us a bit about what you make…
I make fine and timeless pieces of contemporary jewellery in gold and silver. I refine bold elements and classic styles to make statement and one-off items to adorn the body and create a unique connection between the item and the wearer. Each item is hand-crafted by me in my Melbourne studio.
Why do you love The Finders Keepers?
Finders Keepers is such a beautiful shopping environment bringing together some of the best art, design and new talent to a platform where we can all gather and be inspired by each other and take home our very own piece of art or design.
Finders Keepers [brings] together some of the best art, design and new talent to a platform where we can all gather and be inspired by each other
What can market-goers look forward to when they visit you at the Sydney market?
Sneaky new items I slip in there amongst old favourites and classics! I am constantly making new ranges and markets like this are where I debut them, so keep an eye out and you might spy a new favourite.
Why is the creative community so special?
The creative community is where so much of what you see everywhere is born. From simple shapes, colours and textures to trends in fashion, home and lifestyle… it’s the creative community that drives it. It’s life and all things fun and exciting – a big melting pot of amazing ideas and humans.
Olga Joan
Tell us a bit about what you make…
I established Olga Joan in 2018 as an ode to my nonna and nanna: Olga and Joan respectively. Their artisanship and intentionality inspired me to create a brand that thrives on a traditional-minded, transparent approach, and that focuses on delivering low-impact hemp and silk apparel. I aim to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of the age-old craft of garment making and its application in modern-day environmental standards.
Why do you love The Finders Keepers?
The markets attract individuals who truly appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship involved. Personally engaging with customers at events like these enables me to establish a meaningful connection and convey the stories and inspirations that drive my designs. This direct interaction cultivates a sense of community and allows me to forge relationships with customers who value and actively support independent designers.
It gives me a chance to foster a sense of camaraderie and encouragement and provides a space for creative exchange and growth.
What can market-goers look forward to when they visit you at the Sydney market?
Market-goers will have the opportunity to personally experience the complete Olga Joan collection, granting them a chance to explore and engage with every piece. The stall will showcase hemp loungewear, our core silk collection and signature prints Bacopa and Gea Ciocco.
Why is the creative community so special?
It offers a supportive environment for individuals to explore their passions and collaborate with like-minded individuals. Being the sole team member of Olga Joan, events like The Finders Keepers Market are hugely important to me. It gives me a chance to foster a sense of camaraderie and encouragement and provides a space for creative exchange and growth.
Saide
Tell us a bit about what you make…
Saide is an Australian home fragrance brand founded in 2016. We are a small, Brisbane-based business producing small-batch runs of home fragrances and candles by hand with lots of love here in our studio. Life is busy. Our goal is to create luxe and unique home fragrances to create a soothing scented space for your daily ritual. We are known for our Botanica Interior Fragrance Room Spray (and matching Botanica Reed Diffuser) where the scent is designed to last for hours and days on your linens!
Why do you love The Finders Keepers?
The Finders Keepers holds a special place in our hearts. The year we launched Saide was the year we did our first large-scale Finders Keepers market in Melbourne and let’s just say it was the best weekend ever! It’s not only so much fun but seeing all the talented makers and products is so inspiring. Every time we do a Finders Keepers event, I never leave empty-handed – there are so many beautiful things to buy and best of all, you’re supporting small Australian-made businesses.
The opportunity to connect with like-minded creative makers and businesses is incredible.
What can market-goers look forward to when they visit you at the Sydney market?
Come and test our unique range of fragrances – everything from fresh, coastal, fruity, herbal, exotic and woody scents. Our best-sellers are Sea Salt and Sage, Mimosa and Mandarin, Fig Tree, and Leather and Oud. You may even get an affirmation card drawn for you. Come say hi!
Why is the creative community so special?
Everyone at The Finders Keepers is so creative at being their authentic self and that shines through branding, products and stall. It’s inspiring to see how similar we all are but at the same time how unique everyone is. The opportunity to connect with like-minded creative makers and businesses is incredible. Getting to know your neighbours allows sharing of ideas, struggles and experiences – we always feel so fulfilled and inspired after the weekend!
Small Impact Studio
Tell us a bit about what you make…
At Small Impact Studio, we love rescuing bottles. But it’s not what defines us. We believe that good design must come first, and impact follows as people choose to wear and live with our designs. We use traditional glass-blowing techniques to reform bottles into unique homewares and jewellery. For OLIO – our jewellery brand – we love the intersection of really refined materials and strong design, with the organic quality that recycled materials can offer. That is what we are trying to find in our jewellery – that sweet spot that allows people to find their own personality and passion, and wear it!
Why do you love The Finders Keepers?
Being part of a community of creatives who not only get what sustainability can be in exciting ways, but also sharing what we do with new friends and pulling them into the magic of turning a bottle into a unique carafe blown into a recycled paper mould, for example, or a necklace made from the neck of a bottle. There is a great vibe at the market, and it feels really genuine.
Many of us want to live more sustainably. Creatives show us new ways to do that.
What can market-goers look forward to when they visit you at the Sydney market?
We will be launching our new jewellery brand, OLIO, with signature items such as our Dew Earrings (made from hand-formed bottle beads), our Flow Necklace (using the bottleneck) and our Jelly Necklace, an eclectic mix of reclaimed pearls and glass beads.
We will also be launching new designs in our homeware range, including our Sonic Series made from luscious cobalt blue bottles, and a pendant light made from gin bottles!
Why is the creative community so special?
Many of us want to live more sustainably. Creatives show us new ways to do that. Handmade things carry passion, and when you pair that with a sustainable ethos, you become part of a community sharing a narrative. Creatives are the conduit for those stories.
