STALLHOLDERS and market organisers were pleased with the crowd numbers at yesterday’s Rotary Club of Orange’s Christmas Markets, after a small and disappointing turnout the week before.
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Hundreds of people wandered through the second and final Rotary Christmas markets for 2015, held at the Orange Civic Centre’s North Court, with 100 stalls selling everything from Christmas decorations to jewellery, clothes, jams, wooden ornaments and plants.
Chocolate On Purpose owner Fiona Harrison was at both markets and said she had noticed a large jump in people browsing the stalls and, by 11am, she had already spoken to 40 shoppers and made many more sales.
“[Yesterday was] better than last week, there’s certainly more people around,” Ms Harrison said.
“I think we’ve all left Christmas to the last minute; we all knew it was coming but we didn’t quite believe it, and now it’s here and we’ve got to rush around madly trying to buy presents.”
Rotary Club of Orange public relations officer Clivia Frieden said there was a noticeable rise in marketgoers this weekend, but did not have official figures.
“One stallholder told me by 10am they’d already exceeded last Sunday’s takings,” she said.
Money raised at the markets, including $6000 stall rent and donations collected at the gate, will be put primarily into the club’s programs at Orange schools, including their partners Canobolas Rural Technology High School and Bowen Public School.
“At Bowen we have the breakfast program, music lessons and we’re raising money for a covered outdoor learning area shelter,” Ms Frieden said.
“And at Canobolas we’re buying blazers for the school captains.”