The Little Big Markets

TLBM is a thriving community hub on a Saturday. In this regular feature, we meet a diverse range of local stallholders with an array of talents, including creating origami jewellery, beautiful ceramics and quirky tees.

Tom Healey (right) was overseas when he found himself searching for a t-shirt with a cool design to buy for a friend. “I couldn’t find anything remotely clever or that looked like something you’d want to wear,” he says. So he sketched an idea, sent it to his artist sister Frances to draw it, then he placed the image on a tee.

This kicked off the idea for Alarf and the pair started selling their tees with quirky designs. Think a figure using a broom with ‘dusty’ written underneath, or a pint glass with the words ‘love handles’. The range includes short- and long-sleeved tees, and a range of organic cotton Pretty Neat Jerseys.

“The markets have been great for us. It took a while to get moving online, so it was a great way for us to get exposure organically,” says Tom.

They are community minded and work closely with the charities The WaterBoy and Taku Wairua. The Waikato-based pair also have a range of other creative side projects. Frances sells prints ( @frances.creates) and runs The Flour Cakery (flourcakery.com), and Tom is a musician — check him out under the moniker ‘Thomas Newton’ on Spotify.

havealarfnz.com @havealarfnz

Josh Speeden (left) is an old hand at markets. He’s been running stalls at various markets and music festivals for more than 20 years in Aotearoa and the US.

During this time, he’s kept a keen eye on what’s hot in accessories. “I had a small clothing company for years, called Creation Products. I designed and printed the clothes, and I always kept up with accessory trends too. I also used to tour the USA on a big music festival, Vans Warped Tour, and pick up trends to bring home.”

The clothing labelled now closed, Speeds Sunglasses is now Josh’s focus. There are three ranges of sunnies (wooden, polarised and a fun festival range), and stylish, well-priced wooden watches.

A TLBM stalwart, Josh has been there since its inception. “I met my wife Emma there in the first season — she was running a neighbouring stall.” They now own Flux Boutique homewares store in the Mount. While Emma is busy with that, Speeds gives Josh flexibility when it comes to raising their son, Asher. Josh also has a small furniture workshop in Whakamārama, Modern Polish. “I restore antique and mid century furniture and custom-make pieces, which probably explains my love for all things wooden and natural.” joshspeeds@gmail.com

Japanese-born Yuko Kung grew up in a town near Osaka and, like most Japanese children, learned the art of origami — folding paper to make intricate three-dimensional figures. Yuko liked making things with her hands, but it was much later, and far from home, that she used these long-held skills. At 25, Yuko embarked on her OE, heading to Australia. She eventually moved to New Zealand with her future husband in 2016, settling in the Bay of Plenty as they had family here. After honing her English skills at Toi Ohomai, Yuko wondered what to do with her days. The idea of origami jewellery arose and inspired her to launch Allure Japanese Jewellery. “If I’d stayed in Japan, where it’s normal to settle into a job and just stay there, I would never have started my business. I’d be busy working and commuting.” Yuko’s origami skills are fast and accurate. The size and detail of her work is extraordinary — the cranes about as big as a thumbnail. The choice of paper is important: “I import washi — a traditional handmade Japanese paper made from a special plant — from a Kyoto factory.”

Allure’s Instagram has the tagline: ‘Handcrafted lifetime jewellery’. To achieve this, the tiny paper creations are coated in resin, preserving the figure and giving it a glassy feel. Lacking formal training in jewellery, Yuko watched hours of YouTube videos to learn how to combine origami components with metal to create her unique pieces. She also uses gemstones in her work — crystals such as aquamarine, rose quartz and moonstone. “I like their colours and shapes, and feel they give off a positive energy.” allurejapanesejewellery.com

Discovering The Little Big Markets has been a revelation for Yuko. “The market experience is new for me, they are not so popular in Japan. I love connecting with people and it’s a great place to do business.” Yuko expanded her product range recently, introducing hand-crocheted bags made of recycled cotton, and is planning further collaborations with other craftspeople. Though her pre-school son Leo is already learning origami, there are no immediate plans for him to join the business.

@allurejapanesejewellery

Chloe Grey was working in retail when she read of a New Zealand jeweller who lived and worked in New York. It hadn’t occurred to her that such a life was possible, and that she could make it happen right here. Her creative ambitions were kicked into action.

Chloe enrolled in a course at Hungry Creek Art & Craft School in Auckland and went on to complete a three-year Diploma in Jewellery, which included design and manufacturing.

Two children later, she was making jewellery “on the side” when the family moved to Tauranga. Their new property had a garage which served as a studio, enabling Chloe to produce enough work to set up shop at Our Place, the former container village in Tauranga CBD.

Her designs, worked largely in silver, echo Chloe’s love of art deco and antique jewellery. She is also mindful of sustainability when choosing her materials: “I don’t use diamonds; that’s an ethical choice. I do source turquoise directly from a miner in the States who mines his own plot.”

An interest in clay emerged two years ago, but was impeded by Covid and local workshops being booked out. When finally she handled clay, Chloe was hooked. She explains that working with metals requires force and hardness, whereas clay is the opposite. “It’s soft and delicate and I couldn’t love it more if I tried. And when you make a mistake with clay, you just smoosh it over, do it again.”

Chloe dived headlong into wheel-thrown pottery. “I became obsessive, throwing clay every day. I couldn’t stop.” Jewellery has, for now, taken second place.

Earlier this year, Chloe renovated her small studio (just 18sqm) to cater for both jewellery and clay workshops, which are proving very popular. “I love teaching,” she says. “People are excited, they bring ideas and energy, they’re like sponges.”

There aren’t really days off in a typical week, which suits Chloe. “I love this work and am grateful I can do it every day. You have to do what you love, otherwise what’s the point?”

At The Little Big Markets, she likes people to touch and feel her work. Her ceramic pieces are beautiful and functional, made to be used — tumblers with botanical designs, orb-like Moon Vases and lovely planters.

“I’ve only scratched the surface of the possibilities in this medium,” she says. “I’ve so many ideas to explore.” chloegrey.co.nz @chloegreystudio

Words by Julie Clifton