Great Kapiti Characters keep on keeping on

Kevin Jones and Warwick Halcrow are the dynamic duo that bring Kapiti the Paraparaumu Beach Market
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By any reckoning two of Kāpiti’s greatest characters must be Kevin Jones and Warwick Halcrow – marketeers, business partners, and long time mates.

The pair have seen the Paraparaumu Beach Saturday Market grow from a few stalls to the iconic Kāpiti Coast event it has become since they kicked off 25 years ago.

The Paraparaumu Beach Saturday Market draws crowds all year round

Saturday is very much ‘Market Day’ at Paraparaumu Beach and December marked the 25th Anniversary of the first Market day held on the Lighthouse Centre site-now the Pier Apartments.

Over the following 25 years of almost continuous operation-barring pandemic interruptions – Kāpiti’s longest running Market has barely missed a Saturday and has gradually moved a bit to the south and now operates on part of the carpark behind the MacLean Street shops and in part of MacLean Street between Seaview Road and Marine Parade.

Warwick and Kevin go blonde…

Now very much a part of the Beach Culture the Market is more than just a place to buy and sell produce and goods – it’s also a venue to come together in what Market Manager, Kevin Jones describes as “a community centre without walls”.

Kevin has managed the Market since day one and was joined by co-manager Warwick Halcrow in 2006.

The Market provides local growers and producers a means of getting their products to customers who can buy local and fresh at beneficial prices and often creates an opportunity for new small businesses to get started- a number of which have gone on to trading nationally.

Boggy, Phill, and the sheep entertain

“One of our ‘rock star stallholders’ Rebecca Rolls – founder and owner of Thoroughbread gluten free breads and baking started with just eleven loaves at our Market and now distributes her products nation wide and still comes to this Market every Saturday,” says Warwick.

Many hundreds visit the Market every Saturday and it is often on the ‘to do list’ of tourists and visitors to the Kāpiti Coast who also discover the great selection of boutique shops and eateries.

“We always try to keep a relaxed and friendly vibe in keeping with this community and visiting stallholders quite often comment about that,” says Kevin.

Kevin and Warwick say, “lasting 25 years in any business is an achievement and we want to have a fun day with great music from a selection of our talented local muso’s with past stallholders and supporters joining us.”

That’s the future over there… all the best for another 25.

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