Godalming Yard Market: a community for makers and shoppers

The Yard Market sits in a low-roofed building at the back of numbers 97 to 99 High Street, almost opposite the Pepperpot.

To reach it you pass though the immensely tall gateway that in years gone by gave entrance to the coaching inn at the front: it's tall because it had to allow coaches and the men who sat atop them to pass beneath.

Crunch your way across gravel to the building at the back and you will find yourself in The Yard Market, a glorious, eclectic mix of local art and crafts, beautiful gifts, cards and children's clothes - and its famous refill bar.

The market was set up just over two years ago by Laura Goddings and Danielle Giornandi, who met at the gates of Moss Lane School and formed a friendship while on the school run.

Both keen to return to the world of work, the pair discussed setting up a joint venture that would fit around their family lives.

"We wanted to work again, but wanted to do something for ourselves," Laura told Nub News.

Their dream was to create a space for local makers to show their work.

"We wanted a place where people could buy cool stuff without going to London or Brighton," Danielle adds.

The result is The Yard Market, which is a haven of treasures created by local people: jewellery, soaps, candles, children's clothes, prints, cards, pottery to name just some. The pieces are beautifully displayed, and those displays change frequently as new pieces come in.

A particularly popular attraction is the Refill Station, which offers the chance to reduce your footprint on the planet by either taking your own container to be filled with shampoo, conditioner, washing-up liquid, body lotion and cleaning fluids, or buying one and returning to refill it when empty. The liquids are all sourced from small producers within the UK: as Danielle says, it's "ethical and sustainable on all levels".

Over the two years the shop has been open it has become a community hub, with customers and suppliers becoming friends, bonding over their shared world view of offering an ethical, sustainable local community showcase for artists and a way of supporting smaller businesses and co-operatives across the country.

"One of the things about the shop is that we always wanted it to be more than just a shop. It's less of a shop and more of a movement," Danielle says.

"It's a community hub for like-minded people," adds Laura.

Visit the website to see just some of what's available and to learn more about the story behind the venture - and, once this lockdown is over, visit in person to browse the displays, pick up fabulous gifts and support this amazing community asset.