Niche Market returns for 15th birthday with Mother's Day knick-knacks

While Ms Wearne makes canvas aprons, travel cases and keyrings from salvaged belts and other materials, Mr Pullen tempers everything from old railway spikes and files into kitchen and hunting knives with Huon pine handles.

"We started it as a hobby just trying to make a bit of a sustainable lifestyle four ourselves, building things, repurposing them," Ms Wearne said.

"For us it became this idea of teaching our kids that we could make things beautiful that had been discarded, then make them last. Then our house just filled up with all these things, so we decided to share them; that's when we started going to markets."

The husband and wife pair produce their sharp things and earrings respectively for their business Hilltop Handmade, one of several debutant stalls at April 27's Niche Market in the Tramsheds Function Centre.

The event contributes 20 per cent of all its proceeds to St. Giles, Tasmania's largest children's disability service.

The first Niche of the year brought an array of unique Tasmanian products from roughly 50 designers, makers and creators to shoppers looking for gifts, including everything from soap and jewellery to paintings and hand sewn bags.

On top of the special Mother's Day theme, Niche was also celebrating its 15th birthday, seven new stallholders and a first appearance from its kitchen program, 'The St. Giles baking experience'.

"I think [the longevity is] a testament to not only St. Giles as an organisation, but also the makers," said Scott Gelston, St. Giles' Niche Market manager.

"We've got makers here today that came to the Niche 15 years ago, closed down their businesses, went in a different direction with life and have now come back and are delivering something new.

"That's this wonderful kind of shared history and journey. It's wonderful to be able to run the market for this length of time and keep some of the old but stay fresh."