Feedback from Wick town centre market will go towards feasibility study
FEEDBACK from the indoor markets being held in Wick will help inform a feasibility study into the possible community use of the former Original Factory Shop in the town centre.
The series of indoor markets being organised by Wick Community Council will begin on Saturday in the foyer of Caithness House in Market Square.
It is being held as a trial to see how much interest there is from both stallholders and members of the public, and the resulting information will feed in to the feasibility study which is out to tender after being funded by the Caithness Beatrice Community Fund.
Community council chairperson Joanna Coghill said: “We are grateful to Highland Council for renting the foyer of their office block to us for the indoor market. It has taken a fair bit of effort to get it organised but hopefully everything is now in place.
"On this first Saturday we will have all 14 stall spaces occupied. The stalwart of the outdoor market, Caithness Summer Fruits, offering fresh and frozen berries, preserves, honey and home baking, will be moving inside along with a good range of other stalls including candles, Usborne children’s books, wool, knitwear, cards, wooden gifts, soaps, roasted coffees and teas, jewellery, paintings, fresh and artificial flower arrangements, custom printed gifts, tweed items and mixed media. The usual wet fish van will be outside.”
The community council is very keen to see the rejuvenation of the town centre.
Mrs Coghill added: "We are very grateful to the Caithness Beatrice Community Fund for giving us the opportunity to look at the former Original Factory Shop building which has been lying empty for too long in the town centre.
"The community council is very keen to see the rejuvenation of the town centre and envisages this empty building as potentially playing a key part in this.”
The indoor markets in the Caithness House foyer will be held over the four Saturdays in September and will be open from 10am to 3pm each day. The organisers would appreciate if the public refrained from parking next to Caithness House to enable the traders to load and unload.
