Melville Markets in Perth’s south is drawing bargain hunters and sellers to the Melville Plaza Shopping Centre car park hours before dawn, with some shoppers arriving by 4.30am and browsing by torchlight.
The Sunday market, run by the Melville Rotary Club, has operated at the site since 1984. It opens from 6am to 10am, offering everything from second-hand clothes and accessories to books, tools, bicycles, plants and artwork.
For stallholders Valerie and Stephen Brennan, preparing for the market begins the previous evening. They arrive at 6pm to leave a car and witches’ hats in six parking bays, then return at 1.30am to wait and set up their goods.
“We usually get here at 6pm, put one car and some witches hats out and go home and sleep. Then we leave home at 1.30am and come back,” Valerie said. “We will sit in the car for about an hour, and then we set up.”
The couple pays $120 for the six bays, where they sell second-hand clothing, shoes and accessories. On a successful day, they can take more than $1,000.
Stephen said some people sleep in their cars overnight because spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Valerie said the market produced better sales than an undercover alternative they use when it rains.
Friends Anna Ott and Lucia Zanini arrived at 4.30am to sell items they no longer needed. By then, shoppers were already inspecting bags of goods with torches strapped to their heads.
“We come here just to declutter a little bit and instead of giving it all to the op shop, maybe we can make a little bit of money,” Ott said. “I think most of these items have a second life.”
Zanini said attending with a friend also made the early start a social occasion, describing the market as an accessible way for people to spend time together.
Melville Markets offer bargains and a meeting place
Most items are priced between $2 and $30, although more unusual pieces can cost more. Paula Garcia, who sells clothes from her wardrobe alongside handmade pottery, said the market favoured buyers rather than sellers seeking high prices.
“If you are the buyer, it’s amazing. But if you want to sell these things to make a lot of money, it’s harder,” Garcia said. Proceeds from her pottery help her buy more clay.
Dani Hansen has bought and sold at Melville Markets for about 15 years and now mainly visits to browse. She said the event was useful for people clearing out their wardrobes and could turn up unexpected finds.
The Rotary-run market raises about $4,500 in a single morning and more than $80,000 for local charities in a good year.
Market manager Kareena Ballard said traders could sell only second-hand goods and plants, as the market must not compete with the shopping centre. Stallholders must also leave by 10am.
Ballard described the traders and the goods on offer as eclectic, while also portraying the weekly event as a regular social gathering. “It’s a great meeting place for people who once a week get together. It’s a bit of a lonely hearts club,” she said.
Winter brings slightly fewer traders, but summer is particularly busy. Some sellers can clear their stalls by 6am as shoppers arrive early, torches ready, to search for bargains.
