The Waffle Hut is the absolute run-away success of Dock Pop-Up market so far.  It’s all the brainchild of Elaine, who lives in the apartments above the cafe and can frequently be found sipping coffee in The Dock.

During the summer Elaine treated herself to a waffle-making machine, and the results were so good that she booked the pop-up market for a few days… which was so successful that she invested in a bit more equipment and tried a few more recipes, both sweet and savoury…  which went down so well that by the time of the World Police and Fire Games in August, Elaine was selling waffles as fast as she could make them… which then led to a place on a City Council scheme for up-and-coming entrepreneurs… which then led to a stall at St George’s Market on six dates coming up to Christmas… which then led to Susan & I feasting our faces at the Waffle Hut last night!

Elaine is a fantastic example of how a good idea and a lot of hard work can create something really special – check out the Waffle Hut’s Facebook site to tempt your tastebuds with some of the varieties of waffles!

And now, over to the rest of you!  What’s your unique talent, special recipe or unsung gift – and is it something that Dock Cafe customers might enjoy?  Fancy trying your hand at starting your own little business?  Just call in to the cafe to pick a date and pick up the little application card (below) to book the pop-up market for a day – and give it a whirl!  The only rule is – If you make it, you can sell it.

You’ll lose absolutely nothing by trying – even if the take-up on your market stall isn’t all you’d hoped for, there are worse ways to spend a day than sipping coffee in The Dock…

Just look at some of our recent stalls for inspiration – we’ve had knits, buns, waffles, jewellery, paper products, wreaths, cards, cakes, candles, pottery, woodcraft, African art, paintings…

There’s such amazing talent out there, and I love that Dock Cafe can play a little part in inspiring and encouraging people to use and share their talents with others.  I hope Elaine’s story inspires you – at the very least to call down to St George’s Market when the Waffle Hut is in operation (4-9pm on 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th Dec) and tuck in!