Trading Up

[prev] …certified for food hygiene) to help them along with the work. They also wanted to have good quality ingredients, which would be sourced and purchased locally. ‘Our first stand we took was at a local farmer’s market and the biscuits were put in baskets to see which ones sold the best,’ says Joan. ‘We had always intended to sell them packaged but we saw that people loved the pick ‘n’ mix idea. People like the variety, and they can smell them and see what’s in them. They are buying a pure product, of 100 per cent natural ingredients that isn’t full of all sorts of animal by-products and salts or sugars. That’s what they want and we have loyal customers who come back week after week.’

Handmade items, such as wildlife houses by Bentley Pet Housing and Wood Products, are popular with shoppers

Anne and Oberon also trade their wares at Grantham Farmers’ Market and in Oakham, and set up stalls at local dog shows. Anne explains their decision not to sell in shops or outlets stems from keeping their product affordable to consumers. ‘It’s too difficult to cover the cost of the ingredients, we want to maintain good quality, and with the shopkeeper’s mark-up, it would make our product unaffordable. We want our product to be affordable for our customers.’ A Cottesmore resident for several years, Anne was not only familiar with Stamford Market, but also the demographic that frequented it on a regular basis. ‘I always saw it as quite a busy one, and I thought the sort of people that shopped there would appreciate the products we sell. We’ve been here now for about 15 months.’

Nicola Price, from Nottingham, and an acupuncturist by trade, is one of Stamford’s longest running traders with 25 years there. She divides her time between her therapeutic practice and the colourful frocks she retails at Stamford, Melton Mowbray and Newark-on-Trent markets. Nicola claims clothes can be a harder sell due to factors such as the market not being as popular with a younger crowd, coupled with changing trends and the popularity of online shopping and its vast choices. With sales obviously being weather dependant, it is therefore challenging for the market clothing trader. The recent recession still means the population is more wary to spend and generally economises more with clothing, as opposed to core necessities like food. ‘Most of my customer base is from a more mature age group, and I rely a lot on my regular customers. They’ve stayed loyal to me and without them it would be difficult,’ she says. ‘My sales can be erratic, but once we have an extended period of fine weather it’s much better. People tend to think, “It’s good weather, I’ll buy a new dress because I’ll get to wear it…” With all the good summer weather, it’s been brilliant!’

“I try and buy whatever I can here at the market because it’s good to support independent business, and these people work really hard”
Regular Stamford Market customer

The market is organised by South Kesteven District Council, and their communications officer, Ed Palmer, reveals: ‘Of the 75 traders with stalls at the Friday market, the longest serving on record is Mr and Mrs Firth, who sell flowers and plants and have done since 1961. Naturally there are more visitors in summer given the better weather but only marginally. Overall the market is well supported all year round with only around six to eight seasonal traders, meaning there are always well over 60 traders all year round. Earlier this year a footfall survey revealed 14,900 people visited the streets around the market on a Friday.’ So the market continues to have a positive economic impact on the town, and visitors from miles around come to Stamford to enjoy a day of shopping and to admire its characteristic fine Georgian architecture.

Later in the afternoon, while the traders were busy packing up their wares after a long day, I spotted a smiling 40something woman with arms full of various bags and parcels, dashing from stall to stall. At my request she stopped and allowed me to ask her impressions. ‘I moved up from Slough two years ago and I now live in a village just a few miles away. I’ve been coming here since I moved. I love it. It’s such a beautiful town and people are really friendly here. You get to know the vendors by name and vice versa. I like that, it has a real personal feel. Later in the afternoon is my favourite time to shop as I can get deals on the fruits and vegetables that the sellers would rather not pack up but there’s always a decent selection left and everything is always fresh. Plus there is generally so much variety here, and hand-made goods as well. I try and buy whatever I can here at the market because it’s good to support independent business, and these people work really hard. I was in a part of America last year and it seemed mostly large businesses had taken over. There were chain shops everywhere, and to find what they call “Mom and Pop shops” in some places was really hard. I think we are really lucky.’

STAMFORD MARKET IS HELD EVERY FRIDAY FROM 8.30AM TO 4PM IN IRONMONGER AND BROAD STREETS. STAMFORD ALSO OFFERS A FORTNIGHTLY FRIDAY FARMERS’ MARKET ON THE HIGH STREET AND AN ARTS AND CRAFTS MARKET, ARTISANS ON FRIDAY, THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER IN RED LION SQUARE.