About The Village Markets
Committed to our creative small business community
Since 2008, The Village Markets® has been committed to our creative small business community and its success.
Our business was created with the intention of providing a platform for creative small businesses to launch their brands, showcase their products, connect and collaborate in a positive, innovative and unique environment both on and offline.
What do we do?
- We create award winning boutique market events and digital events, for creative small businesses to launch their brands and retail their products,
- We provide helpful resources for and tell the stories of, small creative businesses through our online platforms,
- We are an award winning creative community helping small businesses grow,
- We are a global online platform to connect consumers with creative small businesses, via our Virtual Village and The Village Markets online platforms.
Our Values:
- Our COMMUNITY is the core of our business,
- We practice KINDNESS to all and to our planet,
- We support and CELEBRATE the success of creatives
- And strive to facilitate FREEDOM for small business owners.
Our Founders
Entrepreneurs and former marketing executives, Marissa Bowden and Sarah Schoeller, are the creative powerhouses behind The Village Markets brand.
Both women have a strong affiliation with culture and events on the Gold Coast and are seen as influential in this space, as well as being thought-leaders, innovators and storytellers.
Prior to launching The Village Markets in 2008, Marissa and Sarah were strategic marketing professionals, working with companies such as the AFL, Gold Coast SUNS, IMG, Mantra and Zarraffa’s Coffee.
As well as running an award-winning business trading in two Queensland locations and fostering an online community of over 120k, the devoted mothers have five children under nine between them.
As entrepreneurs, Marissa and Sarah have won a number of awards including Destination Gold Coast Content Awards - Industry Storyteller of the Year, Griffith Business School Outstanding Entrepreneurial Alumnus Award, the International Women’s Day Patrons Award, Gold Coast Young Entrepreneurs of the Year finalists and were finalists in Cosmopolitan Magazine’s national Women of the Year Awards.
TESTIMONIALS
'I worked for 15 years in Interior Design and furniture retail in Australia and overseas before returning to the GC and starting a journey in Ceramics only 2 years. This was a completely new career path that was both super exciting and daunting at the same time. While I was loving the process of making I needed a platform to launch Spencer Ceramics and after speaking with a close friend I ventured to the Village Markets, without hesitation.
To this day I have never looked back.
This unique design community and experience has given me the opportunity to present my collections to an amazing variety of core clients that come back every month to see new collections I have created. Through this exposure at the markets has blessed me with meeting private clients, retailers, interior designers, architects and restaurant owners who have commissioned me for custom orders. I am pinching myself because my core business growth over the last 18 months has been my presence at the Village Markets. The support and bespoke market space that Marissa and Sarah have provided for the design and arts community is beyond measure. I can now happily continue on my clay journey knowing that my presence at TVM is increasing my exposure in the local community as well as throughout other parts of the country and beyond. I am truly blessed and eternally grateful. Now, back to the wheel I go!'