Overview
It's been a booming season for Preston locals. As well their own gourmet cheese toastie drive-through, a swathe of cute new café and restaurant openings and an enviable local BBQ game, Preston Market has just announced a new market hall expansion that will have everyone flocking to the north: the Preston Fresh Hood Market.
The market in Melbourne's north has teamed up with The Space Agency – who were the brains behind last year's Swan Street Chamber of Commerce food precinct activation in Richmond — to transform the old hall that sits between the market and Preston Station into a free-form, open-plan food mecca and arts space.
"The whole aim is to be like a food truck park, but indoors and with no food trucks," says The Space Agency's Crag Carrick. "You can walk around, you can grab a beer, grab a bite to eat and sit where you like — everywhere is a seating area."
The building — which has been empty for the last few years — was recently given a new lick of paint by 17 street artists, who've coloured the walls with large-scale pieces. Inside, the redesign pays tribute to the original use of the building, which once housed permanent stalls for a fishmonger, butcher, baker and a fruit and veg vendor, amongst others.
"We're maintaining a lot of those elements," says Carrick. "For example, the fishmonger will become the central bar, Beermonger, which will serve craft beer and oysters. The beer taps will be where the fish would normally be displayed…[and] we're using the original cabinetry."
A lot of the old infrastructure is being retrofitted for similar uses. The old poultry shop will become the second location of Henrietta's Chicken Shop (and will retain the original signage), while the butcher will be taken over by Hoy Pinoy and their pig-on-a-spit Filipino BBQ offering. The bingo hall upstairs will become an event space and band room with a 500 person capacity. Other confirmed vendors include 3 Ravens Brewery and Meet Patty, a new burger venture from St Ali chef Andy Gale.
"We want to bring something cool to Preston Market," Carrick says. "It's really old school and hasn't changed much in 45 years, but we think Preston itself has changed a lot over the last three years."
The Preston Market, with its 200 vendors and artist market, will stay the same — but the Preston Fresh Hood Market (a tongue-in-cheek title that refers to Preston's status as an up-and-coming place to live) will open on Saturday, July 16. In the meantime keep you peepers peeled for more vendor announcements and details on the launch party.
The Preston Fresh Hood Market will open at Preston Market (22-26 Cramer Street, Preston) on Saturday, July 16. It will trade Wednesday to Sunday from 10am til 10pm. For more info, visit their Facebook page.