Gold Coast creative Marissa Bowden, on how she co-founded The Village Markets

A successful trip to the Gold Coast includes several key outings: sinking your toes into the golden sand, floating in the pristine ocean, indulging in the award-winning culinary scene (read: Rick Shores bug rolls) and getting your calf burn on during a hike in the lush hinterland. Another non-negotiable experience you might not know about - but one locals have been loving for well over a decade - is a Sunday morning spent soaking up good vibes at The Village Markets aka TVM. 

The market - a hub of fashion, art, culture, music and food - is the brainchild of Gold Coast locals, mates and business partners, Marissa Bowen and Sarah Schoeller. The duo, who met while working at a marketing agency in their early 20s, created The Village Markets 15 years ago after seeing a gap in the industry. 

“We were sick of people brushing off the Gold Coast and calling it tacky,” explains Marissa, who grew up in Currumbin and spent her spare time carving up the waves at Rainbow Bay. “We saw lots of great designers and creatives graduating from college here and then relocating to Sydney or Melbourne because we didn't have the scene or opportunities to grow.”

“That inspired us to create a place that celebrated local small businesses, that was filled with creative people selling really interesting things.”

Armed with a whole lot of passion, and a big idea they knew would thrive if given the chance, the duo crafted a business plan and set about putting up posters, creating a MySpace page and seeking out local designers to join their inaugural market. With nine curated stalls setting up shop at Burleigh Heads State School on a sunny morning in October 2008, The Village Markets were born and the local community embraced it with open arms. 

While the stalls initially focused on selling locally made homewares, fashion and vintage gems, in the 15 years since its inception, the markets have transformed from a place to shop to a vibrant creative community. 

“It's such a beautiful meeting place for people,” Marissa says “The need for face to face connection is more important now than ever before and TVM has created a really special community. It's such a positive, free thing for people to do on the coast.”

Over the years, the market's line-up has ballooned to 70 stalls (that number surges to over 100 come Christmas time), running twice monthly. These days a morning spent at TVM is about so much more than just shopping, there’s a mouth-watering line up of international food vendors slinging everything from nachos to dumplings, and it’s the perfect place to kick back on a picnic rug and bless your ears with local music.

In fact, the markets have become a birthplace for unearthing incredible talent. After witnessing a then unknown Ziggy Alberts busking in Byron Bay Marissa asked if he’d like to perform at an upcoming TVM.

“He was pretty much straight there, coming at least 10 times before he really took off in the music scene,” she explains. “The same thing happened with Tones and I. She sang barefoot at our 10th birthday party and a month later Dance Monkey came out and she was suddenly performing on international stages around the world.”

Australian swimwear brand Peony (sold at Harrods and NET-A-PORTER), as well as fashion label Kivari (sold at Saks Fifth Ave and Barneys New York), have found incredible success across the country and overseas, and both started out with a stall at TVM. 

Which is probably why TVM’s fanbase is growing around the world. 

“We've had people from New Zealand to Canada contacting us to find out when the market is going to be on because they're coming to Queensland for a holiday and want to time it so they can come see us too,” Marissa says.  

On 1 October, TVM will turn 15 and to celebrate they’re throwing their biggest Sunday market yet - and best of all, you’re all invited. Local favourite The Craft Parlour will be running a series of workshops for you to unleash your inner creative, some OG stall holders will make a surprise return, and in keeping with their zero waste goal (they’ve reduced their landfill by 94% in recent years), TVM will host Climate Wave, a sustainability initiative that specialises in turning events green. As usual there will be a stacked live music line-up, and in an effort to inspire the next gen of creatives, there will be a ‘mini makers’ market for kids aged six to 13 to sell their creations. Celebrations kick off at 8:30am and run until 1pm. 

Even if you can’t make the celebrations, Marissa encourages those who think they’ve seen all the Gold Coast has to offer, to reconsider.

“A lot of people come to the Gold Coast and head straight to Surfers Paradise, stay in a big hotel and go to theme parks and that’s it,” she says. “But for me, growing up in Currumbin and now living in Palm Beach, I think the southern end is so beautiful, so I would encourage people to venture a little further south on their travels.”

“Jump on the bike path at Currumbin and ride all the way to Kirra, then have a yummy lunch at Siblings, and go for a surf at Rainbow Bay. There’s so many beautiful spots to uncover.”

Want to tackle the Gold Coast like a local? We asked Marissa to reveal her must-do list for visitors below.

Best beach for a swim? Palm Beach or Currumbin Beach.
Favourite beach for a surf? Currumbin Alley or Rainbow Bay.
Best coffee spot? Paris Brest, the new French Patisserie just down the street from us in Palm Beach. It’s absolutely delicious, authentic and owned by a lovely Frenchman. 
Favourite place for a long lunch? Jimmy Wahs. It’s so fresh and delicious. You should definitely order the oysters - and everything else for that matter!
Best spot for a cocktail? It’s pretty hard to beat a view for a cocktail, so The Tropic or Rick Shores for a classic Tommy’s Margarita. 
Dinner spot you love? At the moment I really like Costa Taco in Palm Beach for their Gringo Nachos.
Favourite place to escape in nature? We love camping and a bush walk is always nice. The Twin Falls circuit in Springbrook is beautiful and you can finish with a dip under the icy falls if you’re game.
Favourite hidden gem on the Gold Coast? Sun House Studio, it’s a space for creatives and freelancers to work and collaborate on the Gold Coast and it has the warmest vibes in town.