Saturday markets in Old Flour Mill

Katrina Lee from Lee Bonbons and Cassandra Booth from Cassandra’s Closet in the Old Flour Mill on Brisbane St are launching markets in the Old Flour Mill on March 3, to bring more foot traffic to the heritage area.

Claudia Baxter

A GROUP of Top of Town traders is hoping to breathe new life into a piece of history and draw some new clientele in the process.

After noticing several store closures and an overall decline in the number of people venturing into the Old Flour Mill, Lee Bonbons owner Katrina Lee decided that something needed to be done to increase the level of activity in the old arcade.

She has invited market stallholders to come along on Saturdays, starting on March 3, to offer shoppers another reason to visit the unique little heritage-listed precinct.

"We don't have a full market yet but there are still of couple of weeks left to organise," Ms Lee said.

"What I do want to do is to create awareness of the Old Flour Mill.

"It's one of the oldest buildings in Ipswich, yet a lot of people don't know about it."

The decision to act comes in the wake of the announcement that 93-year-old Ipswich business Big White Furniture will close in the coming weeks, due to dwindling sales.

Top of Town businesses introduced Friday late-night shopping last year in a further effort to bolster the level of activity in the area.

The ploy was moderately successful but has not resulted in significant increases in sales in general.

Ms Lee blamed what she called a "huge slump in retail" across the country for the closure of three businesses in the Old Flour Mill last year.

The Old Flour Mill is up for sale, adding further uncertainty for the handful of businesses that remain.

"I think people are looking for something inexpensive to do and browsing around markets is one way we could potentially increase the level of foot traffic through here," she said.

Retailers have also been lobbying for the restoration of the old mill itself, which seized up a few years ago and has been left to rust away ever since.

Organisers are hoping to attract a fresh fruit and vegetable stallholder before next month.