SMALL traders’ market Les Petits Magasins has grand plans to expand. The fair is set to move at the weekend from its current home at La Trelade Hotel to the newly constructed St Martin’s Community Centre.

‘When this was being built, we thought it would be the place of us,’ said founder Jayne White.

‘When we saw the rooms, we realised it would be perfect.’

The 47-year-old accountant and part-time jewellery trader started the first of the markets three years ago at the St Martin’s hotel.

Its existence spread thanks to word of mouth and it has since attracted about 35 different traders.

‘We are a group of individuals and we each have a product to sell, but don’t have permanent retail premises.

‘There is a real wide range of products and not everybody comes along to every show. We have people, like myself, who like to sell jewellery – this is a way to sell it without having a shop.’

The various traders sell items such as clothing, jewellery and gadgets.

‘We have a natural turnover, as people’s circumstances change.

‘We always find there are people joining us, which is nice because on the one hand, we have our regulars and on the other, we have new people coming along with things we have not had before.’

The market is to take up most of the ground floor at the centre. Traders are giving it a trial run on Sunday, before setting up in September on a more regular basis for its winter season.

Mrs White said it had grand plans for its new location, including the possibility of opening for late night shopping at Christmas.

She said that participating in the market was a rewarding hobby.

‘I work in the finance industry and was at a point in my career where I wanted to do something different.

‘I started off a lingerie business and felt there was a gap in the market for a product range.

‘I took the small room at La Trelade Hotel and had a show there for a couple of weekends.

‘I thought that there must be other people doing similar things and that it would be nice to get four of five of us together to do a show.’

* Les Petits Magasins runs from 10am to 4pm on Sunday.