Market Collective

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Market Collective Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Market Collective, Nonprofit Organization, Morpeth.

Market Collective CIC supports UK small businesses through creative markets, pop-ups, and workshops — helping high streets and rural communities thrive, together.

14/10/2026

Meet Mel from 👋

There’s something lovely about getting the chance to chat to the people behind the businesses at our events.

This time, I caught up with Mel from Urban Silver Jewellery to hear a little more about her business and her experience of being part of our Creative Growth Programme.

We spend so much time organising the workshops, bringing people together and creating opportunities that it's really valuable to hear what the experience is like for the businesses themselves.

And that's why I've loved doing these little interviews!

So, grab a cuppa and hear what Mel has to say. 💛

A big thank you to Mel for taking the time to chat with me and for being part of the Collective.

👉 Interested in joining one of our workshops or events? Take a look at what's coming up at marketcollective.co.uk/events.

The Creative Growth Programme is a Creative Impact project, part of Creative Central NCL, funded by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and Newcastle City Council.

06/10/2026

“I’d definitely do it again.” 💛

That’s probably one of the best things we can hear after someone has taken part in one of our events.
Meet Linda from Linda Gaskell Illustration

Linda joined us through the Creative Enterprise Growth Programme, taking part in the workshops before coming along to sell with us at Grainger Market.

I wanted to know how she’d actually found it.

Not what we thought of the day.
Not how many people came through the doors.
But what it felt like from the other side of the table as one of the businesses taking part.

And that’s what I love about these little interviews.
You get to hear about the nerves, the experience of being there, meeting people, being alongside other creative businesses and whether the support beforehand actually helped when it came to doing it for real.
Have a listen to Linda’s experience. 👆

And if you’ve been thinking about coming along to one of our workshops or events but haven’t quite taken that step yet, hopefully hearing from the people who have will give you a much better idea of what to expect
Thank you Linda for getting involved, and for letting me catch you on camera! 😂

👉 You can find our upcoming workshops and events on the Market Collective website.

The Creative Growth Programme is a Creative Impact project, part of Creative Central NCL, funded by the and .

You can be very good at what you do and still find it difficult to explain why somebody should choose you.I see this all...
02/10/2026

You can be very good at what you do and still find it difficult to explain why somebody should choose you.

I see this all the time with independent businesses.

Years of experience. Brilliant knowledge. Great products or services. Customers who love what they do.

But sometimes that value isn’t immediately obvious from the outside.

That’s where positioning comes in.

It isn’t about pretending to be bigger than you are, charging ridiculous prices because somebody on Instagram told you to, or suddenly becoming the loudest person in the room.

It’s about making it easier for people to understand:

* what you do
* who you help
* what makes you different
* why your experience matters
* and why what you offer is worth paying for

Sometimes the business doesn’t need reinventing.

It just needs communicating more clearly.

Have a look at your own website or social media today. If somebody discovered your business for the first time, would they understand your value?

What do you think? Is explaining your value something you find easy, or is it one of the hardest parts of running your business?

A few tickets have just become available for our AI Marketing for Creative Businesses workshop!If you missed out on a pl...
30/09/2026

A few tickets have just become available for our AI Marketing for Creative Businesses workshop!

If you missed out on a place before, we’ve had a small number of tickets released for our next Creative Growth Programme workshop with Pascal Fintoni.

AI can be a brilliant tool for small businesses, but only when it actually helps you. The aim isn’t to make your marketing sound like everyone else. It’s to use AI to save time, develop your ideas and make marketing easier, while keeping your voice, personality and business at the centre of it.

During this full-day workshop, Pascal will help you get practical with:
✨ Teaching AI about your business, brand and voice
✨ Writing better prompts and getting better results
✨ Creating content for social media and marketing
✨ Planning campaigns and content more efficiently
✨ Finding AI tools that are genuinely useful for small businesses
✨ Putting it all into practice using your own business

You don’t need to be an AI expert. Whether you’re completely new to it or already using tools like ChatGPT and know you could be getting more from them, the day is designed to meet you where you are.

📅 Monday 19 October 2026
⏰ 9.30am–4pm
📍 Newcastle Arts Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne

Places are funded for eligible creative businesses based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside or Northumberland.

🎟️ A limited number of tickets are now available. Book your place here:
AI Marketing for Creative Businesses – link in comments

The Creative Enterprise Growth Programme is a Creative Impact project, part of Creative Central NCL, funded by the North East Combined Authority and Newcastle City Council.

29/09/2026

Meet Sarah, aka Gibbo, from Sloe Creative 👋

One of the things I love about these interviews is hearing directly from the businesses taking part, in their own words.
Sarah joined us at Grainger Market with Sloe Creative, where she creates chainmail jewellery and accessories.

And this was actually her first experience of selling at a market!

In this video, Sarah talks about Sloe Creative, how she found the experience at Grainger Market and what she’s taken from being part of the Creative Enterprise Growth Programme so far.

One of the things that really comes through is the community that’s forming between the businesses.

And that matters to us. We don’t want people to simply attend a workshop, take some notes and disappear.

We want businesses to learn, try things, meet people, build confidence, find opportunities and have support around them while they do it.
Because independent businesses shouldn’t have to do everything alone. 💛

Thank you Sarah for letting me put you on the spot for an interview 😂 and for being part of the Collective.

👉 Want to see what workshops and opportunities are coming up next? Head over to the Events page on the Market Collective website.

The Creative Growth Programme is a Creative Impact project, part of , funded by the and .

22/09/2026

“What’s said in the room stays in the room.”

That’s how our "Running a Business with a Neurodivergent Brain" workshop began, creating a safe space for people to open up, share their experiences and realise they weren’t alone.

One person described the day as:

“A thought-provoking and safe space to think, experiment and reflect.”

But the feedback that meant the most to us was hearing people say they felt supported and had found their community.

That is exactly what Market Collective is all about.

Community. Connection. Practical support. Bringing independent business owners together with people who understand the realities of running a business.

A huge thank you to Business Unmasked for leading such a thoughtful workshop, and to everyone who came along, opened up, shared and listened.

There was no judgement, only understanding, encouragement and new friendships forming.

Watching this video back, what brings us the most joy is seeing that community taking shape. You don’t have to do business alone.

Next up is our AI Marketing workshop on 19 October, exploring practical ways to use AI within your marketing.

👉 Visit the Events page on our website to book your place.

The Creative Growth Programme is a Creative Impact project, part of Creative Central NCL, funded by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and Newcastle City Council.

20/09/2026

“My first market knocked my confidence a bit. Today has felt like magic.” 💛

Meet Sarah from , creator of dark, whimsical oil paintings.

Grainger Market was only the second market Sarah had ever attended. After a difficult first experience, she arrived feeling unsure. But as the day went on, people stopped, connected with her artwork and told her how it made them feel.

That encouragement helped Sarah’s confidence grow throughout the day.

Before the market, Sarah joined our Visual Merchandising workshop with Ann English from . She then had the chance to put that learning into practice at , with Ann there to offer more hands-on support.

Sarah used ideas from the workshop to think about:

✨ The rule of three
✨ Creating different heights on her display
✨ Facing products towards approaching customers
✨ Where to position herself
✨ How to be available without making people feel pressured

Ann suggested sitting at the corner of her stall with a sketchbook. This meant Sarah wasn’t hidden away, but customers could still take their time and approach her naturally when something caught their eye.

This is exactly why we don’t want support to stop at the workshop door.

Learn something. Try it. Get support. Meet people. Put it into practice.

Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your experience so honestly and for being part of the day. 🫶

Want practical support, useful ideas and opportunities to put your learning into practice?

Visit the Events page on the Market Collective website to see our upcoming workshops and book your place.

Independent businesses shouldn’t have to do everything alone.

The Creative Growth Programme is a Creative Impact project, part of , funded by and .

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