For most people ‘side hustle’ ideas come and go, but for co-workers Sarah and Hannah, their daily coffee chats, love of fashion, and passion for sustainable shopping turned an idea into reality with SAHN Markets – a preloved clothing and vintage marketplace held each month in Flinders Lane.
Tell us about yourselves and SAHN Markets.
Hannah studied Business Management at JCU and has a love of all things marketing, leading to a role in Brand Experience at Southern Cross Austereo (SCA – the media company behind local radio stations, Hit 103.1 & Triple M). Sarah’s background is a mix of medical and musical – having been a Practice Manager in Allied Health for many years, while teaching musical theatre in her spare time. Sarah also has a love for Journalism and Multimedia, which led her to jump at the opportunity to work at SCA as well, landing her in a desk opposite Hannah! Over a few coffees in the lunchroom many ideas were thrown around, however SAHN Markets was the one side hustle that not only stuck, but evoked creativity, passion, a new friendship and a sense of community within us.
SAHN Markets is a preloved clothing and vintage market in the heart of Townsville’s CBD, taking place once a month in Flinders Lane (just under Annee’s Caphe Sua Da). We provide the clothing racks, hangers and signage, with stall holders simply needing to supply their own pre-loved gems, keeping 100% of their profits on market day. At its core, SAHN was created for the community, showcasing our love of fashion and events in Townsville, whilst bringing people together and creating a space to share.
After seeing the success of a similar model down south, and constantly witnessing Townsville and surrounding regions struggle, not only with shopping sustainably, but also the lack of access to fashion brands that we unfortunately don’t have up here in North Queensland. We really wanted to develop a space where fashion lovers can come together to collaborate on a regular basis, find new gems of clothing and FEEL GOOD knowing they are shopping sustainably – that was the driving force behind SAHN Markets.
What has been the most challenging aspect of starting/owning SAHN Markets?
It’s one thing having an idea, but actually turning that thing into a finished product always takes a bit of time and a lot of courage. Leaping into the unknown and taking the idea out of the group chat was massive for us, but we have some seriously incredible people around us and have had so much support from places like Cotters Markets, Townsville City Council, PUFT Food Trucks, Townsville Tightass & Triple M – without this support SAHN would not have been possible.
What is a fun fact about yourselves?
A fun fact about the SAHN girls is that we are both country girls at heart- with one from Cloncurry & one from Ingham originally! We are so proudly local, which has really been to our advantage, as we have seen the gap in the local market for years and are so excited to be a part of the sustainable shopping change in Townsville.
What is the best piece of career or business advice you have ever received?
If you can’t stop thinking about it – PURSUE IT!
Going forward, what is next on the cards for SAHN Markets?
We have so much planned for SAHN it’s hard to keep up! Later this month we are moving into some really exciting collaborations with other local businesses within Townsville, as well as expanding our ideas for the SAHN Market concept further, which we can’t wait to announce! We can truly feel the momentum for SAHN within the community; it feels like the beginning of something really really special.
Make sure to follow our socials (Facebook & Instagram) for all upcoming opportunities and updates!
Main image – Hannah & Sarah, Co-Founders of SAHN Markets.
Images Credits – All images supplied.
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