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Being a market trader I have a personal reason to whinge about the shopping public and their use of the supermarket giants.

I've seen the days when all markets were busy..On a Sunday there was nowhere else to go,and the Sunday markets were packed with public.Nowadays everywhere is open and the days of the Sunday market are numbered.

Unfortunately so are most of the Nottingham daily markets.Arnold and Sneinton are shadows of their former selves.Some like Hyson Green are full of traders and quite busy..but nobody's breaking any pots.Most traders are struggling to make it pay...though some of the traders of basics like fruit 'n' veg and butchers still do quite well.

Thanks to the increased use of the motor car, most of the buying public can't be bothered to wander the markets..preferring the convenience of the supermarkets car parks.One stop indoor shopping and the use of credit cards have sounded the death knell for the small trader.

Ahh! the good old days when lots on here can remember the good old Central Market opposite the Palais...all under cover.And Sneinton Market packed with traders and public.Remember the pot pitchers??

Not an easy living market trading...up at the crack of dawn in all weathers...humping loads of gear out of a truck,and at the end of the day humping it back in again.

Have you noticed on East Enders Market it never rains,blows a gale,or snows? They all seem to be busy,and nobody nicks their gear while they're in the pub sinking a pint.

Anybody any memories of the Nottingham markets in their heyday??

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I have stood most of them over the years ( Whilst selling RAC memberships) , It didn't cost me any pitch fees to stand as the RAC paid for it, I think these sunday market blokes were glad to have us there as it gave them a bit of credibility !!! Don't quote me on that it's just an observation.

I had my best days at Thoresby , Rufford and Watnall markets, (I made nearly £700 pounds commision one day at Thoresby !!!

I always pitched up near a 'Meat Auction' and managed to come away with a 'bargain bag' . I also did a bit of 'pitching' too with Imitation Leather jackets and T shirts, made a few bob at it ,but I was working with some one else so the profit margin was always alot lower.

Happy days , but the early starts were a thing of dread , especially after a sherbert or two the night previous!!!.

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We used to visit a market right in Nottingham when I was a teenager. I just can't remember the name - it was a great place for lace and garment "overmakes". It was outdoors and in an area with only local shops otherwise, but every house had Leavers Lace in place of nets.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I remember the old Central Market very well. Does anybody remember Arthur's record stall? I don't know whether I ever knew Arthur's surname, but he used to stand behind the stall in his overcoat, smoking his pipe, and it was the best place in town to buy old rock 'n' roll records at bargain prices. Many times I'd find something in his racks marked at 1/6d or 2/- and tell him that it was worth at least a pound. He'd take a puff on his pipe, shrug his shoulders and reply, "Well, I only paid a shilling for it, so..."

Hidden away behind the stall were pile after pile of cardboard boxes full of goodies and if you caught him on a good day (which was most days) Arthur would let you crawl around in there uncovering rare wonders that he would then sell to you for a few pence.

Sadly, when the old market was pulled down and replaced by the Victoria Centre, Arthur couldn't afford the increased rent for the new "market" that was included, and sold out to someone else who had a far more commercial attitude. Needless to say, it was never the same again.

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Just sat down this minute after returning from Sneinton market...took my sweet trailer down there at 6.30 and waited to see how many turned up.

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I took the picture below at 9am...absolutely dead..just 3 traders...

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The fruit and veg guy does a bomb,but the public just don't bother with the rest of the market.I've given it a few weeks taking nothing in the hope it would build up.If anything it's got worse.Traders turn up and pay rent for a week or two...then disappear because they can't make it pay.

I'm sure loads on here will remember how it used to be...it seems if you aint called Tesco the public can't be bothered.Loads of traffic wardens creeping about nicking shoppers doesn't help...theres plenty of room for cars to park...but yellow lines everywhere.

I'd love to stand on there but it's just a waste of time....Shame!!!

Sneinton in it's heyday...

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Hi there. Yes its such a shame about the markets disappearing. I can remember in the 60s going to central market opposite the bus depot every saturday with me mam and then going in the fish market for some mushy peas! We used to then make our way to the cake shop on handel street to buy fresh cream cakes to take home. MEMORIES!

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I worked for a few stall holders in the mid to late 60's,,,, one of them was Bob (I think) He was about 6-4/5 tall, & wore the obligatory sheepskin coat. He used to sell carpet cleaner (mop & liquid.) He had a lock=up round the corner where i'd be diluting the concentrated commercial liquid soap, bottling it & labelling it, before dragging it to the stall, where we would demonstrate the magical powers of the stuff. The guy used to spend more on me in the pub afterwards than he paid me. Fortunately, I worked with the public for most of my life. We had a mobile shop in Gedling (a 7 ton Cadbury's lorry gave way to a coach), then we had a shop up St Annes Well Road.

I remember well a couple of Record stalls in Central Market. I used to buy music sheets (lyrics) etc for almost any song that you'd heard of. There were also a couple of 'Pet' shops there,,,, one of which sold snakes at one time.

Then there were the hot peas,,,, & cockles / oysters etc at the bottom end.

What I seem to remember about all markets in those days, was like the Heyday picture of poohbears,,,, they were always full of wonderful, natural people all day long.

Baz

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Thats a really sad scene Poohbear, you must feel as if you're banging your head against the wall.

Oddly enough I've just been out and passed through Great Bardfield village which is having it's annual garage sale and market today, it was absolutely packed, thinking that everyone would be there and ignoring Braintree Market today, I came through the town centre and found that packed out as well.

The market ethos seems to be popular down here, I know it's a long way, but is it worth giving it a try, though I'm afraid that we have a resident sweet trader with a similar display to yours.

I reckon you could park up in a local campsite and find a busy market in every different town every day of the week down here.

Daft idea, I know, but I'm only trying to help.

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I'm the wrong side of sixty for camping out and travelling...those days are long gone.I'll do a big car boot tomorrow...wherever there are people I do ok.

I'll guarantee on the boot over 50% of public are foreign extraction..they come from parts of the world where shopping on markets is the norm..I don't think Tescos have reached Lithuania and Bagdhad yet. ;)

English people have become very idle with the supermarkets providing parking and less need to walk.The supermarkets are convenient but not always cheaper,especially the Tesco express lot..local Asian shops are often cheaper but the British public must wear blinkers and just see the Tesco sign above the shop...I think it's called brainwashing. :wacko:

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I remember my gran shopping for food everyday as in very early part of my life she only had a cold slab in the cellar. She would shop at greengrocers for veg, bakers for bread etc..... and knew all shop keepers. My grandad used to take me to old central market every saturday.... vaguely remember this as very young. This has all changed since the onslaught of the supermarkets......One of the reasons I think is, a lot of women/housewives have cars now and want to go to one shop, park up and load the weeks shop in.... think we are all guilty of that these days. My mum, who is now a pensioner can walk all over Arnold easily and has reverted back to buying shopping every day for fresh goods and regularly uses the market, even though she has a car.

We don't have a nearby market here but have been to the veg and fruit market on outskirts that supply mainly the traders...... this is a great expeirience as as soon as you pull up you have a barrow (wheelbarrow) indian pull up for you to load your bought produce on and follow you round the market. It is cheaper (possibly more so if you are are asian!) but you have to buy in bulk.... Ok if there are a few households to share it with!

Sadly supermarkets are the same here..... sell everything.... the largest chain being carrefore.... which is very similar to tescos. The best is spinneys which has waitrose products, south african brands and american branded goods...... hellishly expensive though!

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I think that the reason markets are succesful here is that we have a series of rural traditional market towns, Braintree, Witham, Dunmow, Halstead, Saffron Walden, Haverhill, Sudbury, within a triangle of 3 cities, Chelmsford, Cambridge and Colchester. Each one of these cities has an excellent shopping centre, but traffic and parking is a nightmare, so who can be bothered to go, it's such an effort.

While all the market towns have suffered the fate of losing the traditional town centre shops to the big supermarkets, they have at least retained the twice a week markets and subsequently they are considered an excellent alternative to the supermarkets and are popular. Not only that, people are very chatty down here, despite what you may think, and the markets provide good meet up areas between folk from different villages that come in on the rural bus service and the regular traders, 99% of whom, incidentally, are traditional white traders, many of them 'Loveable East Enders', the only one I can think of who isn't, is our friendly local Sikh, a smashing bloke.

My old man used to come down from Nottingham quite regularly and stay with us when we lived in Finchingfield. He always maintained that this area was one of the last bastions of what he considered traditional British society and made the most of it, travelling to all the markets on the village buses and getting well known, he loved it.

Pity we have to put up with THAT poxy airport.

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Not so many market traders at Donny 2 day maybe all at seaside now...

Bip.

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A percentage of traders do the coast in season,but the gaps on markets nowadays are due to lack of business and the stupidity of councils and private outfits. They still insist on charging the sort of rents that were ok in the markets heyday, but are way over the top now the public are drifting away.

Standard rates on council markets are £20/25 for a 10 foot stall...nowhere near enough space to display a decent amount of goods...the alternative,paying for two or three stalls just 'aint profitable.Unless you're in fruit n veg...most of them are always busy.

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Sounds to me then that we can blame the councils for the decline in interest of our local markets by the public, if there rates were scaled down to compensate for this financial crisis we find ourselves in, the traders might be encouraged to set up shop once again but as it is now the councils see that the big supermarket chains like Tesco are more profitable [massive rates bill] than to have a small market trader eking out an existence for himself. And in the same vain you could blame the councils too for the closer of many local pubs and shops, if the multinationals weren’t allowed to set up shop so to speak and to sell alcohol at such low prices and food in such vast quantities we would still have a thriving local community similar to Eastenders have or is that me having a Nottstalgia moment…

Bip.

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I've heard that the Charlie 2 in Rise Park has a planning application in for a mini market even though the Kwik save shop round the corner is standing empty...betcha life Auntie Tescos is at the back of it...they've bought up a load of shut down pubs.Got ready made car parks 'aint they?...thats the secret ingredient,make it so punters don't have to walk more than 10 paces.

By the way anybody had the pleasure of filling with petrol at Tescos Express garages? (Mansfield,Clifton etc)...Great fun when they're busy...you sit in the queue waiting for the driver in front to come out after paying for his petrol..and wait...and wait...Where's the driver?...walking round with a shopping basket with his car parked up in front of the damned pump that you can't get at.

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Hey Poohbear! I'm new on here but I love Markets like you do, especially Sneinton..... but there were more than 3 traders there last Saturday at 9am - at least 6:)

Come down tomorrow and check out the following

http://www.nottinghamcraftmafia.com/blog/?p=161

Hockley Arts Market on Sneinton Market - There will be 17 extra stalls on there tomorrow from 10-3. just the start for Sneinton.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for the welcome!

Having a second Arts Market at Sneinton on June 27th - the last one had a lot of traders and many, many more punters than usual. It did rain though which is always a problem! Trouble was, a few regular traders didn't turn up due to the poor weather forecast. This was disappointing as we had done loads of advertising.

Sneinton is being run by Sneinton Community Traders now, and we are trying to make a go of it. Costs are high, as Poohbear says, shoppers are lazy, but as I was told recently, a lot of people don't know that Sneinton Market is still there! I for one want to see it take off again - we want traditional traders, and also think we have an afternoon 'audience' - people who get up later and want to hang around socialising and buying crafts, farmers produce and retro 'finds'. Hope the traditional traders stay with us long enough. Rents at Sneinton are quite low at the moment, usually a tenner.......

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I've stopped going now,last stood when the 'Arty' do was on a while back and took the magnificent sum of £18.In other words I lost money 6 weeks on the trot. I gave it a few weeks to pick up, but nothing happened.The market hasn't been advertised...or if it has ...in the wrong places, I've never seen an ad.

Traders won't stand there in bad weather if there are little or no customers when the sun shines.A bread man lasted 3 weeks...a tea and snacks wagon 2 weeks.Unlike the 'Arty' lot we're doing it to earn a living...not pocket money.

These 'Arty' do's are ok in their place but I can't see the ordinary punters that go there for fruit and veg being interested.As said the 'afternoon audience' might be interested....in other words students and the like that don't get up till midday.

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Sneinton two weeks back at 10am couple of traders and a few car booters.

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And there's a major problem...loadsa space but double yellows everywhere complete with yellow hatted pests who will ticket any parked cars in minutes.

That's one reason why supermarkets are packed...free car parking right outside.

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"That's one reason why supermarkets are packed...free car parking right outside."

Not just free parking but everything under one roof & cheaper prices too.

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I completely agree ...let's shut all independant shops and close the high streets..All future purchases should be made at Tescos...from the cradle to the grave. Nappies and funerals...Car insurance and bank loans...In fact let's all work for Tescos on the minimum wage...A new national flag with 'every little helps' printed in a corner.

If that's the world you want to live in you're welcome...

And they're not always cheaper...only on certain lines to get you in the shop.

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