Traders from Shrewsbury's award-winning market explain just what makes it so special

Shropshire Star

Traders and staff were on hand to talk about the award winning Shrewsbury Market and about what makes it special.

Transcript

00:00So Ian you're the manager? I am, I'm the Shrewsbury Town Council Manager.

00:04We run the market in conjunction with Shropshire Council, so yeah we're in charge of the canopy

00:08section. And this is the very special award, still in one piece. Just about, yeah, precious award.

00:16So it must be nice to get that pat on the back really, just to have, you know,

00:20let people saying yes, you're doing a good job, this is what we want. Absolutely yeah,

00:25yeah. I've only been in the role since May, so obviously knowing that you've got a legacy there,

00:31this is the fourth time we've won it now, so it's great to carry that on. Felt a bit of pressure

00:36about that. When you're thinking about, you know, the quality of the traders we've got here,

00:42the team that's behind the scenes, putting it all together as well, then you know,

00:46that's where the confidence comes from. And it's got that lovely mix isn't it? It's a place to

00:49come and buy, you know, buy your cards or your artisan goods, but then it's also places to come

00:53for a drink and a bite to eat. You have a lot of events on as well, don't you? Like late night

00:57events and stuff like that. We do, yes, yeah, yeah. They've been very successful and we've been doing them

01:03for quite some time. And that's also something I think going forward, because we want to try and

01:07keep evolving, we're looking at other sorts of events that we might be able to hold, because

01:12obviously the late nights tends to be more of a food beverage sort of offer, and looking at

01:19more things we can do is attracting more people in across the piece really as well.

01:24So watch your space. Exactly, exactly. Great stuff, well well done.

01:29Yes, yes. So what do you do on your stall? We sell bread and bakery goods, Chelsea Buns and

01:36very famous Shropshire Butter Buns. Ah, I didn't know about the Shropshire Butter Bun, I'll have to

01:40investigate that. How long have you been here as a trader? I've worked here for eight years now.

01:46And are you a trader as well? I am a trader. What's your stall? Polly P. What does Polly P do? Children's

01:51clothes, toys. I hand make them. I make clothes, not toys. What's special about Shrewsbury Market

01:58then? Why has it won this award? I think it's got a big people of work here. Yeah, the traders.

02:05Well I guess really it is, isn't it? Because it's that mix of stalls, the services you do and the

02:09goods you provide, you know. Yeah. There's a nice kind of family vibe here, isn't there really? Like a

02:15nice click. Yeah, a lot of regulars come here, even if sometimes if they're not buying, they just come

02:20say hi and tell us about what they've been up to in the week, which is lovely. I think that makes

02:25as much as anything for me as well, but I meet new people. I love finding out where people come

02:31from as well. It's an eclectic mix, isn't it Shrewsbury? They come from far and wide. They do, yeah.

02:37Do you get many tourists? Because obviously people who live around here, they know about

02:42the market, don't they, and the gemmities. Do you find kind of people who are just here on a

02:47day trip discover that, you know, discover it as well? We do and also I've had some one lady once

02:53here from Las Vegas. I have no idea how she found out about us here, but she did. But yeah, all over really.

03:01Cool and we'll swing by. Go on boss, you're a trader? I am indeed, yes. What's your stall, boss?

03:07My stall is Washeda Wood. Washeda Wood, so that's what, what sort of stuff's that then? So we make

03:12all sorts of different crafts, jewellery and things like that from cutlery, so we do free personalisation.

03:18Okay, and that's kind of what's so special about the market, is it's not your run-of-the-mill stuff

03:22that we get here. No, there's such a range of things in here. I mean, we've got a massive

03:28group of people who all do different ideas and different things in here, so it's brilliant.

03:32Yeah, good stuff. So how long have you been here trading? Just over seven years, seven and a half

03:37years. A few years then, yeah. Good stuff, thank you boss. And then go on, who've we got here then? Go on sir,

03:41what's your role in all this? So I'm Russell, I'm part of the team from Shropshire Council that

03:46manage and run the market. Cool, and go on sir, are you a trader? Yeah, I'm John, yeah. What's your stall, John?

03:52On the fruit and veg just behind us there. Fruit and veg, cool. Nice, nice bit of colour that brings

03:56to the market, doesn't it? Yeah. So what's special about this market then? I think if you live here,

04:01you know. But go on, to outsiders. I think it's the eclectic mix, the mixture of food outlets,

04:09crafts, all sorts. There's everything you need, and as I said before, the people,

04:16there's traders, but also the team behind the scenes that make it work. Yeah. And the unsung

04:21heroes, they're all part of it. It's a team, it's a real team effort. Yeah, definitely. And how long

04:27have you been trading on your stall? Well, I'm the third generation of the family. I started

04:33on my own in 1982, but then it goes back to the early 20s. Wow, that's some heritage then.

04:40Certainly is, yeah. So you must have, you've been seeing a lot of customers. Have you got customers

04:45coming with their children, and then the children grow up and all that? We do, some of that, yes.

04:50Yeah, as I say, previous generations of customers, yeah. And it's a totally different vibe, isn't it,

04:56it's kind of a traditional supermarket that, you know, it's kind of, I don't know,

05:03it feels more about people, do you know what I mean? It's professionalism as well, isn't it?

05:07Every individual trader knows their business inside and out, so you get the information from

05:12them that you're not going to get from multinationals. Yeah. They know. Cool, cheers guys, thank you.

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