Melbourne's getting a brand new market smack in the middle of the CBD, and it's launching this month

Melbourne's CBD is getting something it has been missing: a market that isn't tucked away in a laneway or a suburb twenty minutes from a tram stop.

The Melbourne Makers Market launches at City Square on Swanston Walk on Saturday 19 September, running 10am to 3pm. It's a collaboration between Rose St Artists' Market and the City of Melbourne, and it's built entirely around original, handmade and locally made work.

Up to 40 emerging artists and designers will set up stalls right in the middle of the city, covering ceramics, jewellery, prints, homewares and fashion. No imports, no mass produced stock, just people selling things they actually made.

Getting there could not be easier. City Square sits on Swanston Walk between Collins Street and Flinders Lane, with Town Hall train station opening directly onto the square and half the CBD's tram routes stopping right outside.

This isn't a one off either. After the launch, the market settles into a monthly rhythm, giving the city centre a regular reason to slow down on a Saturday instead of just cutting through it on the way somewhere else.

It also fills a gap the CBD has felt for a while. Retail strips have had a rough few years, and a rotating cast of independent makers in the middle of the city gives Swanston Walk a different kind of pull than another chain store opening.

Rose St Artists' Market already has a strong track record in Fitzroy, so bringing that same model into the CBD is a smart move rather than a gimmick. It gives small makers a shot at city foot traffic they would not normally get, and gives shoppers an actual reason to linger in a part of town usually reserved for lunch breaks and train transfers.

Free entry, family friendly and no excuse not to swing by if you're already in the city that Saturday. Support a local maker, grab something handmade and skip the chain stores for once.