Introducing: Acklam Village Market

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Live music brings Acklam Village to life, Portobello W10

Acklam Village is a market you may never have heard of. Like so many others, I've been in love with Portobello & Golborne Road, Nottinghill, Westbourne Grove and all things W10 for many years. I moved to London from the Midlands just to be near here, where m penchant for collecting, garments, jewellery and modern antiques could be accommodated. Its always a treat to have time to mooch about and browse bits and bobs and object d'art with friends and loved ones with a stop off for good coffee and a chat in mind.

Portobello & Golborne Road Markets are at their best on Saturday and Sunday and offer a fantastic atmosphere because of the people of the neighborhood, the traders, the tourists and visitors alike. They mingle in their unique way, that only having the legacy of the Nottinghill Carnival in your streets can evoke. Trends come and go, but the buzz in the Portobello air remains the same.

In 2012 Portobello Farmers Market was launched. It sold the usual fresh and organic produce from cheese to gluten free pies, but by 2013 this market evolved into what is now the Acklam Village Market and is now something to get excited about.

The Acklam Village Bar

I remember the first time my friends and I happened upon this place. It's pre-loved, upcycled set up reminded me of a throw back to pre-gentrified times. With a backdrop of street art dotted about its variety of textured walls, lead by a boardwalk courtyard of streetfood vendors, it is a kerbside eaters pop-up haven. The brightly coloured little tents under the shadow of bunting dancing in the sky only serves to add to the street party vibe.

Food from around the world

I strut my streetfoodie stuff down to the irresistible sounds and smells of each cooks creations. Food magic with fresh, unusual ingredients, often accompanied by bottles of 'secret' homemade sauces entice me in. There is an overwhelming choice from pretty much every continent on the planet, from Morrocco to Mexico, Burma to East Africa, Cuba to Thailand, Poland to Portugal, not forgetting U.S influences from Burgers to Bagels. When the sun is out, you feel like you could be anywhere in the world right there and then. Watching the sea of international faces exploring each others culture through food is even more gratifying. Walk through the gates and it feels like you are entering a science fiction travel/transporter machine to the hustle and bustle of a Veneuzuelan favela perhaps.

Acklam Village Food Stalls

Streetfood is going through a massive renaissance and Acklam Village Market has truly embraced this concept. The cooks, are genuinely small enterprises showing off their authentic, culinary heritage, egged on by the feedback from the customers as they perform their sorcery with sauces. Whether I've got a burrito in my hand or scooping chocolate from a pancake, a primal happiness hits me as I'm about to eat.

Enjoying the food stalls at Acklam Village, Portobello W10

The music in my ears, the universal language of love plays in the distance. There is no mistaking acoustic music from CD recordings. Just like the food is reliably sourced, so too the musicians, with pure organically, sonically produced songs in front of our eyes on the Acklam stage.

Music and Art at Acklam Village, Portobello, W10

This is a large reclaimed space of striking character. The bar has mulled wine on the go, no matter the weather. Talking of weather the indoor/outdoor element of the venue appeals to me as I can get my Portobello fix during the cold winter months too. One wall is a floor to ceiling window of light, the plastic glass easily removed during that lesser spotted British heat wave. Moulded chairs, beer barrel tables, seating from converted market stalls, all a nod to shabby chic. A refreshing lived-in-squat-chic - the sprawling area with uplighting from natural sky light centers me. Then as the band play on, my belly is full, I listen harder and look up at the Westway ceiling. How random. Sipping a cider, pondering on the deepness of the lyrics, surreal.

Back in the room I see families, babies and dogs, lovers and local eccentrics meandering around for somewhere to sit, getting into their own kind of Acklam experience. Strangers identifiable only by sunglasses, funky headwear, cowboy boots and quirky style, where individuality reigns supreme, they stand proud as photographers snap away. This place is the embodiment of Boho, you can't fake it, the social history makes it what it is. Many have tried to emulate it.

"The new Nottinghill they cry!"

"Faux -Nottinghill we cry back!"

Enjoying the party vibe at Acklam Village Market, London W10

It is not at all surprising that organisers are revisiting the area, particularly inspired by Acklam's commercial potential. But Acklam Village Market is by the people for the people, it's unkempt, unfinished and it recognises that about it self, the gem in a retro village.

This is not just a weekly streetfood curbside event, this is Acklam Village Market, a festival of live music and streetfood and I'm loving it.

A Guest Blog for ILM by JaxEtta

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Wayne Hemingway: Markets and Me

Wayne Hemingway and wife Geraldine at the Classic Carboot, London Southbank

I Love Markets Interviews the man behind the

Classic Car Boot

When you think of famous people who have found success at London's Markets, Wayne Hemingway is the ultimate market maverick. As an avid collector and passionate designer, markets have long been a source of inspiration. Now his passions are brought to life at events like The Vintage Festival and the hugely successful Classic Carboot. We catch up with Wayne to find out why markets matter.

Your career started at Camden Market how did that come about?

Without doing Camden Market we wouldn’t be where we are today. I was playing in a band, we had no money, so we emptied out wardrobes took a hundred quid and that was it. From there Red or Dead was born.

Do you ever visit Camden now?

Occasionally I do visit Camden, but it’s a different place now. Things evolve don’t they. It was for a while the centre of cool, probably in Europe. It’s far from that now. There’s still stuff to be found there, you just need to dig a bit deeper and go past all of that.

Do you visit any of London’s other markets?

Yes, Brick Lane has got a lot of the cooler elements that Camden had in the early 1980s and Portobello on the whole has managed to avoid what Camden has become. There’s still a lot of very good markets in London.

Why do you love visiting markets? If you're into design and new things, as well as old, and if you're into the independent spirit, then you're always going to get a kick out of markets and find something to buy.

Where do you think the next up and coming market might be in London?

Well it happens when things are priced out. So when things become too expensive and you have to find somewhere cheaper to trade or if you find some land that is going to be empty for a long time before anyone decides to build on it, that how new markets are founded. What you still need as a trader is customer flow. That’s why Portobello remains a place where you can make money. That’s why people still go and set-up in Camden, because it’s got tens of thousands of people. That’s why we do our Classic Carboot Sale in high traffic locations. We can attract 5000 of our own followers, but if you can make that ten thousand from people who are just passing and they spend money, it will be for the traders.

Other than footfall what other ingredients do you think you need to make a successful market?

Well the main thing is footfall and that happens in accessible places, so the two go together really. You can’t have a successful market without a high footfall. You would have to do an amazing job at marketing without that. Obviously you get some like really big carboot sales in a field, but those take a long, long time to become established.

Do you think markets play an important part in community?

Yes of course. They’re important on a number of different levels. Number one, on a taste level, some people genuinely do prefer to shop in markets, rather than to go into a mall. I’m included in that. Markets also have a sense of camaraderie and a sense of togetherness that big shopping centres could never have. There is also something about being outdoors, which appeals. There’s a buzz about markets and you also naturally feel that you might find a bargain, because you know that people who are selling have less overheads. You also know that you’re likely to find something that’s quirkier. The most important role that they play is that they give somebody the chance to give something a go with an idea that they have.

What type of markets do you like visiting it the vintage fair or the carboot sale for example?

Well I don’t go to carboot sales anymore as they’ve just become places to get rid of your old broken kettle or something. They serve a purpose but they don’t serve a purpose for me. That’s why we started the Classic Carbootsale as it serves a purpose for our demographic and we’re good at that.

Is that where the idea for the Classic Carboot came from, to fulfil your own desire to have a market that you'd like to go to?

Well that’s where all good designers get there ideas from, when they understand the markets in their own desires. We design like that and we create like that. We don’t have that narrow tastes. If we’d like to go then other people will too.

What can visitors going to the Classic Carboot expect?

Well they’re going to see something that they’ve never seen before. They’re going to see fantastic and amazing classic cars which is a thing in its own right. It might be a more male orientated thing but there’s also a lot of beautiful women in looking at those cars as well. They’ll find something chained with that, which is really well selected things for sale. People who have got classic cars, usually have taste and they also collect other things. You going to see some amazing people getting rid of excess clothing, homeware, furniture, records, collectables, magazine. Lots of people upcycling and people generally with very good taste. A lot of people aren’t doing this on a regular basis, they’re doing this two or three times per year with us, so you’ll see fresh stock, where on the whole, pricing is a lot cheaper than if it were from people who are doing this as a fulltime business. If people want a bargain they should get down there early at 10am.

On top of that we’ve got about forty street food sellers all in different classic vehicles. You’re getting Music, DJs and bars which you wouldn’t normally get at a carboot sale. You don’t normally get a double decker bus with really good, highly selected DJs on from our Vintage Festival crowd. We’ve got street performers. It’s a festival basically but its just £4 to get in.

The perfect location for a market. The Classic Carboot at London's Southbank Centre

Were the traders easy to find, are there a lot of people out there with classic cars and things to sell? You wouldn’t be able to find them unless you had our database. We’ve been doing the vintage festival for 4 years, we’ve got 130,000 people on it. We didn’t know if we could achieve it, but we have.

Will there be lots of people getting dressed up, is that another part of what makes the event unique?

There isn’t that much opportunity to get glamorous and it does give people that chance. At the Classic Carboot you don’t get everyone dressing up, but about 20% of people will wearing vintage clothes.

Vintage Glamour at the Classic Carboot, London Southbank

Is there any award for the best dressed person in attendance?

Yes, we have what’s called “Best in Show” which could be the best dressed man, women or family. We do “Best in Show” for the person with the best stock, the best car. It’s all just a bit of fun. Winners get a bottle of champagne and a rosette.

So will you be shopping at the event too?

Yes we did last time, we bought loads.

What’s the biggest market bargain you’ve ever had?

Well there are loads being a collector myself. We own a museum called the Land of Lost Content which is full of things we’ve bought from markets over the years. It’s at Craven House in Shropshire. The collection is also digitalised as a creative resource for students and academics.

So what else is in the pipeline for this year?

Well we’ve got the Vintage Festivals. There’s one in Glasgow in July as part of the Common Wealth Games and there’s Morecambe in September. People should sign up to the Hemingway Design website. There’s loads going on and we do a newsletter. Markets are a big part of what we do and people just love it.

The Classic Car boot will be back in 2015. Watch this space!

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Interview by Katie Ingham, Director, I Love Markets