Lynda Green, of Lynda's Clothing, and Julie Taylor, of New Generation Licorice, held Arrowtown's inaugural Pop Up Market at the Athenaeum Hall on Saturday, which featured 35 stalls selling items ranging from jewellery and artworks to cupcakes, clothing and wooden toys.
Ms Green said she and Ms Taylor, along with Karen Barr, of Barr Originals, and Alysia Forbes, of DNA Jewlz, decided at the beginning of winter to initiate the markets, which "pop up" in various towns in the southern South Island.
"Winter is very, very quiet - we're struggling for about three months and then from September we're just mad until Easter time.
"Our winter months are really quiet, so we decided to create ourselves an income," Ms Taylor said.
While the majority of stallholders were Invercargill-based, as the popularity of the markets had increased, other small businesses had joined in, including people from Oamaru, Mosgiel, Mossburn and Balclutha.
"We have two more [markets] lined up this year," Ms Green said.
"We are doing Winton on September 1 and Invercargill on September 16.
"It's growing. In Invercargill we're going to have up to 75 stalls.
"We've had a great response to it."
Included in the Pop Up Market days was an opportunity for the host town to raise funds for community projects.
The market would return next year and include Mosgiel and Cromwell in its tour, Ms Green said.
