Wave of support saves River and Wren markets from planned closure

Organiser Jennie Meiklejohn last week announced on the boutique markets' Facebook page that she would be closing them down after five years.

Mrs Meiklejohn, who began a full-time job in October last year, has been juggling the markets with family and work commitments and made what she described as a very difficult decision to close River and Wren.

But after contacting her regular stallholders privately and then publicly posting her closure plan on Facebook, Mrs Meiklejohn has been overwhelmed with the response it generated.

"I completely underestimated the response," she said.

"I had been thinking about it for some time and I thought closing it was for the best.

"But I have been inundated with phone calls and messages.

"People were disappointed, but they were also asking what happens next.

"There were also some beautiful messages and they had me in tears. People were saying 'my business is what it is became of you'."

Five years ago, Mrs Meiklejohn began River and Wren as a replacement to Wagga's Muddi Markets.

While Muddi remained small, Mrs Meiklejohn expressed her pride at having grown the River and Wren from 55 stallholders to a regular set of between 120 and 140.

Mrs Meiklejohn said she wanted the markets initially to help people showcase their creativity.

"I can now really appreciate that River and Wren does have a place in the city," she said.

"It is not just about shopping. It is an event that has become a gathering point for people in the community."

Mrs Meiklejohn said she had made the decision to find someone to help her organise future River and Wren events.

But for now, it's back to normal for River and Wren, with the winter market to be held at the Wagga showground on Sunday, June 23.