Happy Christmas!
It’s time to wrap up and take a break for Christmas!
It’s my birthday tomorrow and I’m determined not to be shopping or wrapping other people’s presents for once!
It’s been a crazy year. We didn’t actually plan for Nest & Anchor Markets to be a thing. It was a happy accident. The Christmas market last year was just something the boys ‘allowed’ me to do alongside the weddings and events at The Dovecote. Something to shut me up really! And now it’s so much of a ‘thing’ it even has its very own social pages AND a market in Gosport too (Anchored in Gosport)!
We’re so grateful to all the traders who’ve joined us this year, and everyone who has come along, spent their money and kept this enterprise going. Having moved to Portchester from Southsea three years ago, I think it’s just what the area needed. It’s all about opportunities for local creatives and the sustainability of shopping local. Doesn’t it feel better to buy a bottle of small batch gin made locally rather than a bottle of Gordons in Tesco? Or a bag of freshly ground coffee from a local provider rather than a jar of Nescafe from the Coop? It’s about quality products, keeping your money within the local economy and championing cottage industries.
I love the markets. My background is in the wedding industry, I used to publish a wedding magazine and organise wedding fairs, so markets was a natural sidestep for me. It’s very natural for me to provide a platform from which to celebrate and showcase independent businesses. I’m nosey you see and I’m genuinely SO interested in other people’s passions and how they’ve made them into a business!
I’m really proud of the ‘energy’ of the market. I like to think we provide a friendly and fun atmosphere, and everyone’s enthusiasm and passion rubs off on each other. There’s a term I came across which I love – Collective Effervescence.
“Collective effervescence is the feeling of energy and harmony when people are engaged in a shared purpose. It is a joie de vivre that manifests when we share moments with others”.
Myself and my colleagues have something of a winning formula which I believe is rare to find and our working relationship is something I cherish greatly. They’re my business brothers! We allow each other to play to our strengths, we communicate honestly (they will ALL tell you I’m far too honest sometimes) and importantly we have a laugh and have each others backs.
They say ‘find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life’ and that perfectly sums up how I feel about my job.
Let’s all go and have a break, spend time with our loved ones, go for long walks, do a jigsaw puzzle, watch all the Christmas specials, drink all the Baileys, and regroup in the New Year.
We have BIG plans for 2024.
Best wishes
Helen, Scott, Tom & Dan