First, refunds.

If you were a stallholder or shopper affected by the sudden closure of our Mt Gravatt Showgrounds weekly Sunday fashion markets, we are so sorry.

We know many people had planned their weekends around those markets, whether you were selling, shopping, meeting friends or simply enjoying the ritual of a Sunday at the racks.

We were in contact with stallholders directly straight after and refunds have been issued. If you have any questions, please contact us directly at wardrobe.markets@gmail.com.

We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has stayed with us through what has been a very unexpected and difficult chapter.

Seeing familiar faces at our new markets in Red Hill, Indooroopilly, Newstead and Tugun has meant an enormous amount to us. Thank you! So many people being so kind to us is a wonderful reminder of the thrifterhood we have built, it means a lot.

If you've only discovered us through the Mt Gravatt story...

You may have come across Her Wardrobe Markets through the recent coverage and online discussion rather than through one of our markets that was recently closed abruptly.

If so, we thought a little context might be useful.

Her Wardrobe Markets has been operating for more than a decade, and our history in fashion and events goes back even further. We've now hosted more than 500 markets and welcomed hundreds of thousands of shoppers and sellers over the years.

Our Mt Gravatt Fashion Markets on Sundays were a particularly important part of that story.

For more than ten years, we built a community there alongside thousands of sellers, shoppers, families, friends and local businesses.

We are incredibly proud of what that community built; at became the weekly circular fashion engine of Brisbane. Something truly to be proud of.

We also want to acknowledge something important.

When you have been operating a customer-facing business for more than two decades and have interacted with hundreds of thousands of people, it would be unrealistic to suggest that every single person has had a perfect experience.

They haven't.

If we have provided poor customer service or got something wrong, we are sorry. We do not claim to be perfect. We keep showing up and trying our best, even when things get tough.

Honest feedback has helped us learn. We listen, we learn and we try our best to treat our community fairly and respectfully.

What happened at Mt Gravatt?

We were invited to establish our markets at Mt Gravatt Showgrounds with the intention of growing the market offering there, including regular weekly Sunday markets.

We did that.

For more than a decade, the markets became a significant part of our business and, more importantly, a significant part of many people's weekends.

The Mt Gravatt Showgrounds Trust undertook a Master Plan consultation process. We were deeply disappointed that our business and the large community of people who had participated in our markets over many years were excluded from that process.

That led to a serious disagreement between ourselves and the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds Trust.

We attempted to resolve the situation directly and have continued to advocate for our community.

We have chosen to focus our energy on what we can control: looking after our customers and sellers, continuing to advocate for the community and building what comes next.

We should also acknowledge the stallholders affected by that final event.

The intention of opening that day was connected to the ongoing disagreement about the site, and we accept that participating in that situation created uncertainty for some people.

Our event terms did disclose that there was an ongoing dispute concerning the venue.

But we have also learned something important from the experience.

Terms and conditions, repeated emails, text messages and videos don't necessarily mean that everyone will fully understand the practical implications of a complicated situation before deciding to participate.

With hindsight, we could have communicated the situation more clearly and more prominently.

For anyone who was affected, we are sorry.

Stallholders were offered refunds and contacted following the cancellation, and if anyone believes they still have an unresolved issue please contact us directly.

So where does that leave us?

Still here. And growing. We have been opening new markets in some fabulous new locations.

We've been welcomed into Red Hill, Indooroopilly and Newstead, while continuing our long-standing Gold Coast market in Tugun.

We're developing new locations, introducing His Wardrobe, creating new opportunities for sellers and continuing to find ways to get more beautiful secondhand clothing into the hands of people who will love it.

Because our vision hasn't changed.

We believe women should have the opportuniy to earn extra income from their wardrobes.

We believe markets create something that online shopping can't replicate: connection, discovery, conversation and community. We believe in indivudality and creativity.

And we believe there is room for more people to participate in the circular economy.

We don't see another sustainable fashion market as a problem.

We see more people buying secondhand as a good thing.

More clothes circulating is good.

More local sellers earning income is good.

More people discovering vintage, designer, preloved and secondhand fashion is good.

More communities coming together is good.

That's the future we want to help build.

If you're new here, come and meet us.

You don't have to make up your mind about Her Wardrobe Markets based on something you've read online.

Come to a market. Talk to our sellers and meet our team.

Have a look through the racks.

Please bring your friends.

Ask us questions and experience the community for yourself.

We are proud of our history, including our decade at Mt Gravatt.

We are grateful for everyone who helped make those markets what they were.

And we are equally excited about everything that comes next.

To everyone who has continued to support us: thank you.

To everyone who has raised a concern respectully: thank you.

To anyone who has been affected by what happened: please contact us if there is something we can still help with.

And to everyone who simply loves finding something brilliant on a rack that already had a life before it found you...

We'll see you at the next market.

Everyone is welcome.