In the six months since Mataya first opened its pink doors, the team has managed to create something which goes beyond “just a cafe”.
The Sholl Street eatery has not only been keeping their Mandurah customers caffeinated and well-fed but has played host to a slew of events; the latest of which is this weekend’s artisan market.
Featuring everything from gourmet foods to ceramics and wood work, Saturday’s event will showcase unique local businesses, not otherwise featured in other Peel events.
“We were a bit selective in who we approached because we know there are so many unique small businesses in the area and we really wanted to showcase those professional brands,” Mataya owner Natalie Cameron said.
“People can come along, purchase ranges of products, taste test what’s sometimes on our menu or experience some of these vendors who are going to Perth regularly supporting a lot of the big Perth markets, but not necessarily getting seen here.
“It’s been the vision for Mataya from the get go was to utilise that courtyard and we’ve been doing a fair bit of that in the evenings, where businesses will have catch-ups, workshops or demonstrations but we just felt, why not do this during the day?”
We love meeting new people and we love activating spaces and I think that’s what a lot of this comes down to.
- Natalie Cameron
Saturday’s markets joins the long list of events – including children’s gym days and music gigs – which has helped created a community centered around Mataya.
What’s more, the events provide a chance for the cafe to collaborate with other local businesses.
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“For a consumer, or the people of Mandurah it’s a fun thing to do, and for us as a business it keeps things interesting,” Ms Cameron said.
“We love meeting new people and we love activating spaces and I think that’s what a lot of this comes down to.
“The markets have had an amazing amount of interest already so we’ll definitely be doing another one of those, and just recently we’ve had a local musician approach us about hosting an open mic night in the courtyard – rather than in a venue somewhere.
“We really want to start doing more things in the evening, so whether that comes in collaboration with other food vendors, or we’ve always been talking about outdoor cinemas because we do have that rooftop carpark.”
Mataya Markets will be on Saturday from 8am-1pm, at 20, 24 Sholl Street, Mandurah.