Emma Brereton and Tara McGuinness love markets. We had a chat with them about their passion for creating a market family that looks out for each other and encourages growth and fun.
“Our aim is to have a platform for all the amazing designers and artisan food producers. It’s to bring back the wonderfulness of what’s going on in Dublin and Dublin needs it.”
TMG: We met on the dancefloor at the Magheramore beach parties, which we used to run, Generation-X we were called. We also used to host big outdoor events and then we started developing things in Temple Bar such as EarDrumBuzz and were probably the first people who brought the concept of audio visuals to Ireland, we just did it.
EB: I’ve been organising markets for the last 13 years starting in the Ha’penny Market, then the Generator, Culture Night Market at Collins Barracks, Portobello Sq Markets, Electric Picnic, Body and Soul and more recently The Dandelion Market and The Fashion Flea at The Well which is a great venue. I started the Dandelion market back up again in September after lockdown. Tara started doing a stall and we got chatting. I knew she had a passion for flea markets so we connected. I wanted to expand the business, I’ve always wanted to curate a vintage style carboot market in the city, inviting communities, art & fashion colleges and local craft groups to participate. When I bought the tables off Aisling from the Flea she said, “why don’t you try the Digital Hub?”
TMG: Our aim is to have a platform for all the amazing designers and artisan food producers. It’s to bring back the wonderfulness of what’s going on in Dublin and Dublin needs it. We’ll be curating it and have music and bands, hopefully during summer we’ll have a twilight market vibe also. What is amazing with the Digital Hub is they love our energy. We’ll have kissing and hugging corners, it won’t be blind date, it’ll be visual date, the whole nine yards – bring it all back, all that’s been lost and celebrate it.
EB: We’re hoping to move We Love Markets around also and do festivals and small corporate events. Our mission statement is to support local enterprise and design. There are so many amazing creative people out there who are looking to showcase their products, as market operators we want to bring the best of the best.
TMG: We need to have buy local, support local. one of the great things with lockdown is we saw what was happening around the rest of Ireland and it’s a hive of fucking amazingness. Survival shouldn’t be a dialogue we’re having. We’re hoping to cross-pollinate and share with all the markets. It’s back to the art of collaboration and shared experiences.
EB: Profile is important but quality of product is most important for those looking to have a stall. We also have a social responsibility to support those who are new. We are a market community, a market family that looks out for each other and encourages growth and fun.
We Love Markets launches in The Digital Hub on Sunday March 20th.
For all our future markets check out @we_love_markets
Photo: Killian Broderick
