While Saturday’s market was downsized for COVID-19 operating conditions, there were still more than 40 stall holders being managed by Ms Pryor’s five-strong team.
“It’s much smaller, by design, than last month when we had 85 stall holders,” she said.
“We made the decision to make it smaller, because a few stall holders were on holidays.
“A couple were also affected by COVID testing.”
The markets are the latest in a series staged under the Kinds of Happiness banner.
“We use the markets to raise funds for rural and regional youths who come from challenged backgrounds,” Ms Pryor said.
“Through the markets the participants are learning to be event organisers.
“Everything I do, they see and then follow the leader.”
Ms Pryor has about 20 participants involved in the program, aged from 11 to 19 years old, from Shepparton, Swan Hill, Lake Boga, Echuca and Moama.
She said the participants learned to work as a team, learned customer service and then eventually learned how to run their own stall.
And, in the longer term, the participants in the program will co-ordinate their own market under the direction of Kinds of Happiness.
"The kids in the program will have their stalls,“ Ms Pryor said.
“We get them set up with permits and training. Then, from their profits, they will reimburse the market for their equipment.”
At the Echuca market, people can expect to see the Kinds of Happiness graduates at a food-vending van.
“They will divide up the profits and learn to build a micro business from scratch,” Ms Pryor said.
She started the program in 2016, having a history in real estate, shopping centre management and in human resources.
Kinds of Happiness has also linked up with farmers from the region.
“They are taught how to be self sufficient and also about animals,” she said.
Ms Pryor’s 19-year-old son was the “guinea pig” for the program and is now running small markets, as a teenager.
“We have also linked up with Berry Street at Shepparton and we will be working with some of their kids. It’s very exciting,” she said.
Ms Pryor said she hoped the Echuca Hopwood Gardens market would become a permanent part of the events calendar, despite having only been run twice.
She and her group are also planning a new market at Docklands, Melbourne on February 19; First and third Saturday of the month.
“Twilight and then outside of daylight savings it will be a morning market,” she said.
“We would like to have a bus.”
And on February 12 the Hopwood Gardens markets will return as part of the Southern 80 weekend.
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