Discussion
I remember back in the day, probably atleast 15 years ago now going to Blackbushe market on the weekend with my Dad nice and early - for those that didn't go, it was a huge market, hundreds of stalls..
From garden furniture, homewares, hooky clothes and trainers to the rasta man playing reggae mixtapes smoking weed, the cockney salesmen selling tools and stuff. The numberplate stands who would print whatever you wanted, no docs needed, to the car parts stands. With the multiple burger vans, or some even pretty much full on fast food restaurants complete with plastic garden furniture arranged under gazebos, and pretty much all different foods of the world aromas drifted around. All of those kind of things..
Is this still a thing these days or has the Internet killed it? Did HMRC/Trading Standards shut it all down? I went to a car boot at the weekend and there were a couple of traders selling tools and cosmetics which took me back to those good old days.
From garden furniture, homewares, hooky clothes and trainers to the rasta man playing reggae mixtapes smoking weed, the cockney salesmen selling tools and stuff. The numberplate stands who would print whatever you wanted, no docs needed, to the car parts stands. With the multiple burger vans, or some even pretty much full on fast food restaurants complete with plastic garden furniture arranged under gazebos, and pretty much all different foods of the world aromas drifted around. All of those kind of things..
Is this still a thing these days or has the Internet killed it? Did HMRC/Trading Standards shut it all down? I went to a car boot at the weekend and there were a couple of traders selling tools and cosmetics which took me back to those good old days.
We’d occasionally go to the Newcastle Quayside market when I was little, which was similar to your description. All manner of interesting and useful things, and a stall selling pets too.
I work in the City, and used to live in the East End, so had quite a selection of local markets available down the years, but most shifted over time to selling tat, knock-off designer goods or the same things you can get in Home Bargains for less money.
I work in the City, and used to live in the East End, so had quite a selection of local markets available down the years, but most shifted over time to selling tat, knock-off designer goods or the same things you can get in Home Bargains for less money.
In the late 80s recession my dad lost his job and, for a spell until he went back into his career role, became a market trader.
He bought a leyland Sherpa and initially sold mens shirts, then sweets. At the weekends mum would join and sell soft toys.
School holidays me and my sister would effectively work for my dad. Weekends were usually a Saturday market close to home (Leeds Kirkgate, which was a huge market now a shadow of what it was, or Castleford which has gone altogether) and Sunday was usually at an event or at the seaside.
Fantastic memories tbh. Absolutely loved going to buy stock with the old man, building the stall, helping to sell. Sundays were amazing as these were always bumper sales days and we’d go to the fair, get ice cream, often a meal in the way home. I am under zero illusion that the correct amount of income tax was paid…
Not sure how long he did this for as childhood memories get compressed. All I know for sure is that he did it out of necessity. Interest rates were in the teens, jobs were hard to come by and he had 2 kids to support. Very stressful times he tells me, but I absolutely loved that period as a kid, spent so much time together as a family and used to love wandering the markets on my own. Everyone knew who I was / who my dad was, it was like free day care.
But yeah markets. Internet and modern convenience killed the regular ones in the uk. I’m in marseille for work at the moment and there’s one by the port that’s busy most days.
He bought a leyland Sherpa and initially sold mens shirts, then sweets. At the weekends mum would join and sell soft toys.
School holidays me and my sister would effectively work for my dad. Weekends were usually a Saturday market close to home (Leeds Kirkgate, which was a huge market now a shadow of what it was, or Castleford which has gone altogether) and Sunday was usually at an event or at the seaside.
Fantastic memories tbh. Absolutely loved going to buy stock with the old man, building the stall, helping to sell. Sundays were amazing as these were always bumper sales days and we’d go to the fair, get ice cream, often a meal in the way home. I am under zero illusion that the correct amount of income tax was paid…
Not sure how long he did this for as childhood memories get compressed. All I know for sure is that he did it out of necessity. Interest rates were in the teens, jobs were hard to come by and he had 2 kids to support. Very stressful times he tells me, but I absolutely loved that period as a kid, spent so much time together as a family and used to love wandering the markets on my own. Everyone knew who I was / who my dad was, it was like free day care.
But yeah markets. Internet and modern convenience killed the regular ones in the uk. I’m in marseille for work at the moment and there’s one by the port that’s busy most days.
We had Ingliston Market up here in Edinburgh - beware, it's a link to one of those rubbish websites that passes poorly for journalism these days.
I was just a new student to the city but found out about the meat market/raffle there when some Chinese students in my halls started chopping an entire pig at one Sunday morning. I hadn't a clue what was going on until they explained to me where they had bought it and how much of a bargain it was. Every fridge and freezer in my block was filled to the top with pork. They told us about all the gear you could get there so we popped down the next weekend and sure enough, pirated goods as far as the eye could see, a giant gorilla, poor imitation clothes and outright poor quality clothes, the lot.
I was just a new student to the city but found out about the meat market/raffle there when some Chinese students in my halls started chopping an entire pig at one Sunday morning. I hadn't a clue what was going on until they explained to me where they had bought it and how much of a bargain it was. Every fridge and freezer in my block was filled to the top with pork. They told us about all the gear you could get there so we popped down the next weekend and sure enough, pirated goods as far as the eye could see, a giant gorilla, poor imitation clothes and outright poor quality clothes, the lot.
I used to enjoy a mooch around Romford Market back in the day. We did a project about it in school and I recall it being quite an interesting topic. Many of the plots have been in the same family for many generations, some dating back hundreds of years so the 'real estate' value of each is quite significant. Went back there a few years ago and seems many have cashed in on this.
Leeds market used to be a very busy market and was packed with traders both on the inside and outside sections but it has slowly been killed off, it still runs but a shadow of its former self, and most of the traders have gone.
The traders blame the council and their rent increases rather than the development of the internet.
The traders blame the council and their rent increases rather than the development of the internet.
Still plenty of markets around NW Essex. Saffron Walden has 2 a week with a scaled down version of what the op describes with stalls selling fruit and veg, fish, flowers, Spanish meats and a Borough market. Plus shoes, clothing, haberdashers, watch repairs and best of all a stand selling old farm and gardening hand tools.
Thaxted has a food market every Friday and Sudbury has a large market every fourth week.
Thaxted has a food market every Friday and Sudbury has a large market every fourth week.
I remember this bloke who used to sell out of a suit case, had a dopey younger brother.......
But seriously, the problem markets have is like so much in life rules and regs. In the same way we lament the loss of interesting cars with some variety, light weight, lots of glass for an airy cabin, we lament the loss of proper markets, with people selling hooky and fake or just downright shoddy goods. The trouble is when rules are being written it seems a no brainer to dictate that cars should be safer every generation, yet that rule is what makes all the cars on the road today be basically the same squidgy beanbag shape for pedestrian safety, weigh a ton because the walls of the car need to be so thick to keep you safe and have windows the size of ship portholes because glass weakens the structure.
Market wise who would agree that market traders should be allowed to not pay income tax, buy goods without any traceability, likely dangerous, almost certainly of "debatable ownership" and be able to disappear if anything goes wrong? That's why at almost every market there's someone from trading standards wandering around making sure the rules aren't being broken, and even when they aren't the organiser be it private or council will enforce the same rules kicking out any traders who flout them.
Has coddling and wrapping in cotton wool made the world a better place?
But seriously, the problem markets have is like so much in life rules and regs. In the same way we lament the loss of interesting cars with some variety, light weight, lots of glass for an airy cabin, we lament the loss of proper markets, with people selling hooky and fake or just downright shoddy goods. The trouble is when rules are being written it seems a no brainer to dictate that cars should be safer every generation, yet that rule is what makes all the cars on the road today be basically the same squidgy beanbag shape for pedestrian safety, weigh a ton because the walls of the car need to be so thick to keep you safe and have windows the size of ship portholes because glass weakens the structure.
Market wise who would agree that market traders should be allowed to not pay income tax, buy goods without any traceability, likely dangerous, almost certainly of "debatable ownership" and be able to disappear if anything goes wrong? That's why at almost every market there's someone from trading standards wandering around making sure the rules aren't being broken, and even when they aren't the organiser be it private or council will enforce the same rules kicking out any traders who flout them.
Has coddling and wrapping in cotton wool made the world a better place?
We went to blackbushe in the 90s as kids, I just remember seeing all sorts of designer clobber and then realising how the rough kids at school got it.
Fast forward 10 years or so I was doing IT at a cosmetics place, the staff there were paid to goto various markets to buy our own stuff to look at it and then try and resolve if it was fake / stolen
Fast forward 10 years or so I was doing IT at a cosmetics place, the staff there were paid to goto various markets to buy our own stuff to look at it and then try and resolve if it was fake / stolen
t. Stolen tools sold at car boots is a big issue. beambeam1 said:
We had Ingliston Market up here in Edinburgh - beware, it's a link to one of those rubbish websites that passes poorly for journalism these days.
I was just a new student to the city but found out about the meat market/raffle there when some Chinese students in my halls started chopping an entire pig at one Sunday morning. I hadn't a clue what was going on until they explained to me where they had bought it and how much of a bargain it was. Every fridge and freezer in my block was filled to the top with pork. They told us about all the gear you could get there so we popped down the next weekend and sure enough, pirated goods as far as the eye could see, a giant gorilla, poor imitation clothes and outright poor quality clothes, the lot.
East Fortune was only a few miles away.I was just a new student to the city but found out about the meat market/raffle there when some Chinese students in my halls started chopping an entire pig at one Sunday morning. I hadn't a clue what was going on until they explained to me where they had bought it and how much of a bargain it was. Every fridge and freezer in my block was filled to the top with pork. They told us about all the gear you could get there so we popped down the next weekend and sure enough, pirated goods as far as the eye could see, a giant gorilla, poor imitation clothes and outright poor quality clothes, the lot.
We would go just for a wander about. You could get some decent stuff there, even the clothing was okay. In later years it became a shadow of its former self and eventually just shut down.
Jonnny said:
I remember back in the day, probably atleast 15 years ago now going to Blackbushe market on the weekend with my Dad nice and early - for those that didn't go, it was a huge market, hundreds of stalls..
From garden furniture, homewares, hooky clothes and trainers to the rasta man playing reggae mixtapes smoking weed, the cockney salesmen selling tools and stuff. The numberplate stands who would print whatever you wanted, no docs needed, to the car parts stands. With the multiple burger vans, or some even pretty much full on fast food restaurants complete with plastic garden furniture arranged under gazebos, and pretty much all different foods of the world aromas drifted around. All of those kind of things..
Is this still a thing these days or has the Internet killed it? Did HMRC/Trading Standards shut it all down? I went to a car boot at the weekend and there were a couple of traders selling tools and cosmetics which took me back to those good old days.
Went there in the early 80's to get all my Kappa etc gear! What was that "style" called again .... From garden furniture, homewares, hooky clothes and trainers to the rasta man playing reggae mixtapes smoking weed, the cockney salesmen selling tools and stuff. The numberplate stands who would print whatever you wanted, no docs needed, to the car parts stands. With the multiple burger vans, or some even pretty much full on fast food restaurants complete with plastic garden furniture arranged under gazebos, and pretty much all different foods of the world aromas drifted around. All of those kind of things..
Is this still a thing these days or has the Internet killed it? Did HMRC/Trading Standards shut it all down? I went to a car boot at the weekend and there were a couple of traders selling tools and cosmetics which took me back to those good old days.
TX.
Edit - remembered, Casual.
Most markets I go to only have one USP, that is you can still get a decent range of cheap, fresh fruit compared to the Supermarkets. Everything else at the markets are tat. Bottles of bleach that you can get in Aldi for 60p selling for £1, bin liners made from the thinnest plastic in the world etc etc. The world has moved on and cheap tat can be bought cheaper in high street stores.
We've got a small local one which (sadly) is gradually dying. I remember going as a kid and it seemed so exciting.
Bury Market is also fairly local to me and that seems to have a critical mass - enough stalls to attract sufficient people which seems to attract more traders. Also being situated close to Mill Gate and The Rock means there's a reasonable amount of footfall.
Bury Market is also fairly local to me and that seems to have a critical mass - enough stalls to attract sufficient people which seems to attract more traders. Also being situated close to Mill Gate and The Rock means there's a reasonable amount of footfall.
as a kid we lived about 200yds from the weekly market,
I needed extra pocketmoney so got a job unloading and re loading vans for the traders first thing and as it closed,
the time between was spent working for my dad in the family grocers shop, cutting bacon, cheese, cooked meat and stacking shelfs
I started as soon as I could reach the workbench, I recall some H&S guy asking if a 7 yr old was ok using the bacon slicer and boning sides of bacon,
he was told I had been doing it for over a year so far,
I needed extra pocketmoney so got a job unloading and re loading vans for the traders first thing and as it closed,
the time between was spent working for my dad in the family grocers shop, cutting bacon, cheese, cooked meat and stacking shelfs
I started as soon as I could reach the workbench, I recall some H&S guy asking if a 7 yr old was ok using the bacon slicer and boning sides of bacon,
he was told I had been doing it for over a year so far,
Edited by bobtail4x4 on Wednesday 3rd July 13:03
The poundshops did away with some. as did t'internet.
Doubt if its still going but we used to go to Finmere now and again, some good stalls there.
among her various means of earning a living over the years wifey used to sell good second hand clothes at markets, mixture of common and designer, which she made a reasonable living from, one of the reasons she did this was to keep baby daughter with her, no one but wifey was raising her.
Car boots are still the thing now in some places, when London bound on the M40/A40 just past Denham/Iver junction look to the left.
Doubt if its still going but we used to go to Finmere now and again, some good stalls there.
among her various means of earning a living over the years wifey used to sell good second hand clothes at markets, mixture of common and designer, which she made a reasonable living from, one of the reasons she did this was to keep baby daughter with her, no one but wifey was raising her.
Car boots are still the thing now in some places, when London bound on the M40/A40 just past Denham/Iver junction look to the left.
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