Co-ordinator Asks Vendors to Limit Themselves to ROC
ROC market co-ordinator Ellana Kalounisiga has shed light on claims by vendors alleging they are not welcomed back if they partake in other markets around the country.
“We would never tell them they cannot sell everywhere, but what we can do is let them know we have a waitlist of more than 105 vendors wanting a chance to join our team,” she said.
“Our vendors have been ‘asked’ to consider the success they have out of the ROC and to limit themselves accordingly.
“If they are ‘everywhere’ they become common and my job as co-ordinator is to ensure the ROC remains the quality market it is. We don’t have the same vendors that sell everywhere.”
The unique market space has been operational for almost 20 years and has over the years maintained the standards of supporting new small businesses. “The success behind the ROC and the reason we have such success, is that we choose our vendors very carefully,” she said. “Our market is an artisan centered space, and incubation space for many success stories because we have quality control, we limit who comes in – that’s the reason you don’t see our vendors ‘everywhere’ - we aren’t a standard market space
“We’ve worked very hard to build a market model that supports mostly handmade, locally produced quality local products,” Mrs Kalounisiga said.
The Nausori ROC market had a large turnout on Saturday with it being their second operation. “Our Nausori Market space is a little different – we have 23 Nausori-based vendors,” she said. “We have a few from our Suva market who make the trip to Nausori so those who can’t get to the Suva market have a chance to sample their work.”