Founder Justine Gaudry said customers could go to the Olive Tree Virtual Market Facebook event page at 9am then click a link that would take them to the new curated market website. It includes links to stallholder websites, where they can purchase items, access to discount codes and offers and live interviews with artists and designers.

"Our first virtual event will be a test case with the aim of collaborating with other local entities in the future to grow and develop the platform and concept," she said.

The Olive Tree markets were held as custom on the first Saturday of March before the coronavirus outbreak.

"We had to make the call that we wouldn't do the April market and that was difficult because the government hadn't yet announced the lockdown," Ms Gaudry said.

"It became clear that most of our creative industry community had not only had they lost Olive Tree but also every other event, because many of our stallholders do the bigger markets nationally.

"They were all facing overnight a 100 per cent drop in income and while some have online sites they may not have heaps of followers on social media, so their earnings are limited."

Ms Gaudry watchedHandMade Canberra market go online and moved quickly to discuss a virtual market with her regular stallholders: "We didn't want to put retail in people's faces with hardship everywhere, but customers were asking how they could support us," she said.

The Olive Tree event in Civic Park draws up to 130 stalls, including some food stalls. The virtual event will have about half that, with the drop comprising hot food operators (there will still be virtual food stallholders, such as coffee roasters, jam and gin makers) and emerging artists and older creatives. She said many in the latter group did not have websites, while others were trying to work out the viability of their business.

Artist Prudence de Marchi said the virtual market would allow customers to continue supporting local creatives.

"Olive Tree Markets really kickstarted things for us - not only in boosting my confidence in my ability to create pieces that people actually want to buy, but also the exposure, commission leads and social media presence has been huge," she said.

"This gives people the opportunity to be a part of something bigger again and help small businesses who may be doing it a little tough."

Leiluca Ceramics founder Jacquie Garcia, who launched her website just before the pandemic, said the community had "stepped up" to support local businesses in difficult times.

Mrs Garcia said the markets had been "vital" for her business in networking and growing her customer base: "Ceramics is very much about touch and feel so the Market is a great place for people to actually see touch and feel the pieces they buy" she said.

"It's important to support creative people as we rely on others to help keep us going. Without our customers, we cannot survive."

To access the markets from 9am on Saturday, go to facebook.com/events/745504072651054/ and click on the appropriate link.