St Kilda Esplanade Market

The best way to spend a lazy Sunday when staying in St Kilda is to take a leisurely stroll through the St Kilda Esplanade Market.

Established in 1970, this relaxed market has grown over the years and now attracts in excess of 100 local stall holders to the gorgeous beachside locale, cementing it as a ‘must-do’ for anyone visiting St Kilda on a Sunday.

On arrival, you’ll soon be sucked into a glorious wormhole of locally designed fashion, paintings, homewares, handcrafted candles and other beautiful, artistic creations. It’s the perfect place to grab a gift for your friends, or a great way to treat yourself to something fabulously unique.

The people behind the products are also renowned for being very approachable, so ask them about their goods and they’ll tell you the inspiration behind them and what makes them unique. The best part is that the majority of stallholders are locals, which means you are supporting Victorian small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Because of its gorgeous location by the beach, on a nice summers day you’ll also often see kite surfers, stand up paddle boarders and even sky divers taking advantage of the sunshine on Port Phillip Bay, which makes for a very pretty St Kilda backdrop to shop.

The stalls are always changing at St Kilda Esplanade Markets so it’s best to check the markets website for the most up to date list, but here are a few stalls held by locals which are often very popular.

FATMUMMAS – Stall 78 A definite stop on the market train if you want a groovy new iPad cover, laptop or messenger bag, but the products on offer don’t stop there. Simple and functional design, coupled with striking and hard to find feature fabric has seen local designer, Kathy Jenkins get mentioned for her FATMUMMAS designs in all the right places. If you want to grab something with some edge and personality, this is the place to go.

AVEC AMOUR – Stall 39 If like us, you are addicted to scented soy candles, you’ll probably drop a fair bit of coin at this stall. 100% soy and 100% lux, these candles have all the ‘trimmings’ for the perfect gift. Stall holder Amanda creates these beauties entirely from scratch and also offers a range of unique calligraphy jewellery, which integrates poems, personalised names and inspiring phrases into the design, which we think is kind of cool.

KIRSTEN HAWORTH TEXTILES – Stall 46 This stall offers hand printed bags, cushions, postcards and designer tea towels which look too good to dry dishes with – they are gorgeous enough to frame and put on the wall, which many of her customers have done. Kirsten’s distinct designs are super cool and a just a little retro. A great stall to stop and grab a gift for the friend who has everything.

The St Kilda Esplanade Market is easy to find, obviously visible, just look for the white marquees down along the Esplanade near Luna Park.  After the markets, stop in Acland Street at one of the famous cake shops, or head back to Saint Kilda Beach Hotel for some chill time, as we are only a few hundred metres away.