A local fashion market was brought to an abrupt halt after police were called to the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds over a trespassing complaint, leaving stallholders scrambling to pack up their goods before the day had barely begun.
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Her Wardrobe Markets, a community-oriented fashion and lifestyle market that has called the showgrounds home, was shut down on 12 April after Queensland Police responded to a complaint lodged at 6:36 am, just as stallholders were setting up their stands. The incident has brought a dispute between the market organiser and the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds Trust into public view.
The showgrounds trust stated on a Facebook post that the area where the markets were held had become an active construction site, and that the organiser had made an unauthorised attempt to operate a market on the day. The trust said it had issued a notice to cease operations back in October, citing concerns about the organiser’s casual use of the site, and had since followed up with multiple communications confirming that no further approval existed to use the space.
For shoppers who turned up early, with the organiser noting crowds had arrived in significant numbers, the scene was an unexpected one. Earth-moving equipment sat on the pitch. Police were on site. Stalls that had already been set up were being packed away.
The organisers addressed the situation directly via Instagram later that day, describing it as a difficult and unexpected outcome. They noted that there was considerable activity on the ground before the decision to shut down was ultimately made, and that one of the attending constables acknowledged it appeared to be a civil matter best handled through the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal or the courts, a position the organiser said they shared.
In a candid post, Her Wardrobe Markets described the surreal experience of arriving to find earth-moving equipment on the pitch. Despite the difficulties of the morning, they drew comfort from the turnout. “It’s been a long and pretty gruelling 18 months. But today, seeing the community the way we did, that’s what I’m taking with me. The joy, the connection, the people showing up. It’s clear this market has a place here and serves a real need,” they wrote.
Her Wardrobe Markets confirmed via social media that a live dispute with the showgrounds is ongoing and is being worked through via the appropriate process. The organisers said their legal team would be involved in next steps, and that the day’s events would be treated as further information in what they described as a long and gruelling process.
Not everyone was sympathetic, however. Some community members and social media commenters were critical of the decision to proceed with the market while the dispute remained unresolved, particularly given that stallholders had already paid fees, arranged staff, and travelled to the site.
Acknowledging the mixed reactions from the community, the organisers closed their post with a note of resilience. “To everyone who came up to me with kindness, thank you. It meant a lot. And to the person who yelled at me, I hear your frustration. We’re not there today, but this isn’t the end of the road for us,” Her Wardrobe Markets wrote.
For their part, the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds Trust has indicated that operations will continue under new management. Fab Finds Markets, described by the trust as an independent, approved operator, is set to take over the event from 10 May.
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It remains to be seen what the next steps will look like for Her Wardrobe Markets and its stallholders and shoppers. Sunday’s events have clearly left stallholders and regular shoppers with questions about how the market arrived at this point, and where it goes from here.
Published 15-April-2026
