Richmond Markets Are More Than A Place To Buy And Sell

Richmond Good Food Market, like many other community markets, was started with the intention of allowing local producers and creators of Hawkesbury the opportunity to showcase and sell their goods - and for locals to get their hands on fresh, locally grown produce.

Current owner, Daniel McTackett said it has become much more than a place to just buy and sell.

Mr McTackett took over the market five years ago when the region was facing bushfires.

“I took over back in 2018 after purchasing the market,” Mr McTackett said.

“My mum runs a stall at the market called Pawsitively Awesome, and she had been doing the markets for about a year before I took over.

“I took over as I had decided, at the ripe age of 18, that I wanted to do something more with my life than sit behind a desk at a big company making no difference.”

Mr McTackett has added the goal of bringing tourism to the area.

“We do this through our changing vendors and our monthly festivals,” he said.

“Over the years, our demographic has changed significantly.

“We used to have a lot of only Hawkesbury regulars attend the market which was great until COVID hit.”

Once COVID-19 hit, the Richmond Market was one of the few farmers’ markets that remained open as long as possible through the pandemic.

“I did this with the mindset of ‘I’m only one person’,” Mr McTackett said.

“I don’t have a family to feed, so I could justify to myself that it was okay to run at a loss for that period.

“I know almost all of our vendors personally and knew that a lot of them relied on the market industry for their sole income, or a large portion to help with their family.

“I wasn’t going to be taking that away from them.

“This in the Long run was one of the best decisions I ever made.

“It changed the entire feeling of the market.”

One of Mr McTackett’s favourite little things to explain the feeling of the markets was something that happened a few years ago.

“We had a guy come through, who came every week, but I hadn’t really had a chance to chat with him yet,” he said.

“This particular week he seemed stressed, frazzled and panicked.

“I struck up a conversation with him to check in, and it turns out his wife was at home in labour and sent him for dumplings and coffee.

“Fast forward, and I have had the amazing opportunity to watch his child grow - from a newborn to taking her first steps, and a toddler now.

“It really is such a special place.

“We still talk every week when we see each other and it recently came to light that the market was part of what made them fall in love with the Hawkesbury and buy a house only a few streets away.”

Mr McTackett aims to continue the markets for as long as possible and to continue to grow them.

Richmond Good Food Market runs from 8 am to 1 pm on Saturdays at Richmond Park.

• Topics:

• Markets