Has eating become more popular than shopping London's Market

Food has taken London's markets by storm. On a recent trip to some of London's most popular lunchtime spots, Katie Ingham wonders if it really is all glorious?

Think August would be a good time for London’s markets but actually it’s a bit of an iffy one. Being the summer you may expect people to be out in droves, but particularly for local markets that tourists are less likely to visit, business can be slow. Sensible locals vacate the city for warmer climates, you can see the pavements ahead of you and the roads are an eerie kind of quiet. Markets are naturally vibrant places, so it always feels unsettling to hit a lull.

My Thursday hunt for some market action began at Chapel Market in Angel Islington and it was my first interaction here with a trader that got me thinking. When I asked if I could take a photo of his stalled and I explained that it was for I love markets, he replied.

"So what's going on with markets then?" What do you mean I said, "Well there all turning to food." My immediate response was how food stalls bring in good lunch time trade, but on reflection is the popularity of food at London’s markets changing the way we spend our time at them?

"If food stalls are replacing other traders, where are the non-food traders going and what does the future hold for these people at London’s Street Markets?"

Chapel Market in Islington is a traditional affair

Chapel Market is still about as traditional a street market as you can expect to find in London.  It has an honest mix of food, fresh fruit and veg, clothing, flowers, home essentials and more so now, hot food stalls. It’s the type of everyday market that locals should cherish, offering an affordable alternative to supermarkets as well as the high street. I know that markets of this kind aren’t to everyone’s taste, but they do serve a purpose. If you know what you can find there and at competitive prices, then you know you can visit when the need arises.

A few of my favourite regulars are pictured below.

Chapel Market Stall - Local Historic Photos including Arsenal's Icons

Chapel Market Stall - Peruvian Children's Clothing, Toys & Womens' Jewellery

Chapel Market Stall - French & European deli and sandwiches on the go

My next stop through Islington brings me down Rosebery Avenue to Exmouth Market. Exmouth Market is a quaint row of independent shops, well regarded restaurants, coffee shops and drinking holes. It’s off the beaten track nestled between Angel and Clerkenwell, it’s not on a tube stop, so it serves the immediate local area and is a popular spot for workers to take a lunch. The market itself is 100% food and it solely operates for the lunchtime and is already winding down come 2pm. Food stalls can do great business here. It’s a bite size market with about 10-12 stalls on a good day.  One thing that is lacking is somewhere to actually sit and eat, which is why a lot of people head back to their office to eat it. The Ghanaian food stall is a personal favourite. It serves authentic curries with the staple jollof rice. A great way to bring a bit of fire into a dull lunchtime.

More fast bites at Exmouth Market on Rosebery Avenue

Walking on 5 minutes further up Rosebery Avenue you’ll hit Clerkenwell Road. It’s not far from the busy junction of Theobalds Road and Grays Inn Road and home to Camden Council run Leather Lane Market. Leather Lane is an interesting part of London which sits just in front of London’s Diamond Quarter – Hatton Gardens. It used to be a pretty lifeless part of town but now it has a new lease of life with many trendy design and media companies housed there. The high street itself has massively improved over the years. It has many gems. Daddy Donkey who used to run a hugely popular burrito stall on the market has recently opened up there. It has Monmouth Coffee, Kate Kanza a long-time favourite independent shoe shop of mine, and Fully City Bikes bringing their own two-wheel community vibes to the area. It would also be sacrilege not to mention the Falafel King at Sara’s Food Store, here you can sample arguably the best falafels in London.

Food Stalls get ready for a day's trading at Leather Lane Market

It’s not just the high street at Leather Lane that has changed, the market seems to have too. It used to be very in keeping with Chapel Market, however on this visit food traders seemed to be once again winning, which left me wondering where the other non-food traders have gone? With such a huge local work force it seems like a good move to offer more stalls selling lunchtime bites. It seems apparent that although food stalls bring in a strong lunchtime footfall, they don’t necessarily attract the type of person who is likely to spend money on other parts of the market. The question has to be asked is

“Who is actually shopping at London’s street markets?”

Fully City Bikes on Leather Lane

Food is undoubtedly fashionable at moment. The popularity of street Food, topped with our hankering to "eat street," has encouraged new faces to London’s markets. It's  reignited interest which is a great thing, but it does make you wonder where all the other guys gone? If market organisers are simply supplying the demand then why is it that people are less likely to visit their market to shop as opposed to eat? The recession has undoubtedly played a part in tightening our everyday spending of luxury, non-essential goods.

"Eating is a strong contender to shopping as it's a necessity, but it's one that can give great pleasure!"

When considering the purchase of fashion, clothing and accessories at markets, bargain high street basements like Primark have to be mentioned.   Their success has sent shock waves across the industry and even market traders find it hard to compete with their prices. The increase in stalls selling cheap imported goods and replicas has also downgraded quality and variety. Many shoppers are happy to compromise quality over price and ethical reputation isn't a player.

My last stop on my Thursday market trail is a foodie show stopper. White Cross Street. It’s a fine example of how a lively, vibrant lunchtime food market, can completely revive a lost and lonely high street. Situated just off Old Street and close to the Barbican, this is a fantastic place to take lunch. The photos speak for themselves. It’s hugely popular, buzzing and fantastically fragrant. Run by Islington Council this is their most successful market. Maybe it’s the success of this market which has affected the foodie future of neighbouring Chapel Street and Leather Lane Market.

Whitecross Street Market is a lunchtime haven

Navigating your way through the crowds and vast aromas accelerates your appetite. The only difficulty here is deciding what to eat. By the Waitrose end of the market there were a few rather apologetic non-food stalls that in all honesty got swallowed up by the simmering food stalls and hungry punters. Everyone there has only food on the mind and who could blame them.

"Enjoying food is a universal pleasure, which brings people together."

Choosing what to eat is the tricky thing at Whitecross Street Market

Punters can't get enough of Hoxton Beach falafels at Whitecross Street Market

Whitecross Street is proof that food at markets can be a glorious thing. Succulent street food and fast bites are a popular pull. Enjoying food is a universal pleasure, which brings people together. It's clear that the abundance of food available at London's Markets has enhanced the overall market experience. I just hope that eating at markets doesn't become more popular than shopping. Or is it too late?

Blog by Katie Ingham, I Love Markets Director. Tweet us your thoughts @ilovemarkets

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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

ILM Visits Camden Collective

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Camden Collective is a great institution who support emerging designers, makers and businesses. Nothing pleases us more than coming across a good solid hub of creativity, where traders can bounce off each other whilst being able to find a firm establishment for their own wares or brands. No surprise, then, that we are currently LOVING the recently rejuvenated C/159 from Camden Collective, an indoor market space that gives creative businesses/individuals the chance to showcase their products or ideas, in the footfalltastic location of Camden High Street.

We were pretty delighted to see that two gorgeous ILM members, East End Prints and Garite, recently occupied (or are occupying - Garite are still there!) an area of the market and can safely say these two distinctly different brands put their lovely stamps on the space in both effective and aesthetic ways. "It was one of the easiest spaces we’ve ever had!" says Emily of East End Prints. "There was a large wall given to us to hang on and each stall got a plinth to display stock on. Because the space is so open it made it easy to move your stock around until you found what works best... people love going through it as it is different to anything else around [Camden]."

We know what a wonderfully eclectic range that East End Prints has to offer so we thought the equally diverse range of traders that shared the market with them was beautifully appropriate. "The energy between each stall was amazing," Emily says. "We could really feed off of each others' sales. It was great to be surrounded by people who do the same thing as you in order to share ideas and help out when needed. We all had the same objective - which made the atmosphere of the space welcoming and warm for the customers."

We couldn't help asking how at home a brand who is based in the East End felt in the North of London. Camden Collective is in the perfect location. "The hustle and bustle of Camden really helped with sales and connecting with our customers. We were able to reach a group of people that we had never come across before – taking our business out of the East End and reaching the rest of London". We are positive that those Londoners were ecstatic at the branching out!

We were really interested to see what Garite made of their shop as we had been to seen them not so very long ago at the same postcode, but in a completely different space. The vintage brand had occupied 69 Camden High Street through Camden Collective, which provided them with an individual shop as opposed to a shared space.

"We had a really good week at 69 so were really eager to try 159," says Yasmine, one of Garite's founders. "Collective are superb at helping out and supporting you, so in all it's been nothing but amazing!"

"I really like the new setup at C159," Yasmine continues. "It looks super cool and funky which is a perfect fit for GARITE! I love that there is such a diversity amongst the different brands in the space, and because of the design it all works really well together." We thought the juxtaposition of their colourful pieces against the varying products in the rest of the market confirmed that differing brands really can bounce off each other.

Whilst sipping 'homemade champagne' at Garite's launch party for the pop-up, we asked what benefits they found in sharing the space, in comparison to single-brandedly. "Everything from sharing ideas and learning from each other to getting to know new, likeminded people," Yasmine tells us. "The customers also love the space and the fact that there are small creative brands sharing it - I think more or less everyone who lives in the area has said 'This is just what Camden needs!' But beware the dangers: everyone has so much nice stuff, it's hard to go one day without buying something..."As true market advocates, we will always salute those that go it alone in a new shop but do think the sense of community that can be so clearly felt in places like these are unbeatable... although we can affirm the 'dangers' that Yasmine mentions!

We know Garite and East End Prints are just two example of the kinds of creative people you might see in Camden Collective, or any market with a concept like it. One thing we really wanted to know from them was what advice they'd give to anyone considering popping up in a similar environment.

"My only advice would be to contact the press and sort out your marketing before-hand," Emily says. "While you are there you tend to get caught up in the sales and forget about letting people know that you are actually there. Facebook, Twitter, Blogger etc are all key." Yasmine adds, "it's not all about selling at the end of the day, but also showcasing your brand. Organise at least one or two small events, take your customer's contact details to keep in touch, be creative, and make the most of it!"

So - whether you're a regular market trader, an up and coming new brand or a lucky, lucky customer, we highly recommend swinging by number 159 next time you're in Camden Town. Remember - you can also purchase the desirable products from both East End Prints and Garite on I Love Markets.

By Hollye Murphy

Wonders at Wood Street

Welcome to Wood Street Market in Walthamstow, e17 massive! There are many excellent words beginning with 'W'. Wonderful. Wizardly. Wowzer. ILM's favourite W is Wood Street Indoor Market, conveniently in the borough of Walthamstow, and it in fact attributes itself to all of the above words. It's a curious place, steeped in history and brimming with character; it's not your average market and it really does need to be seen to be believed.

The Beatles in Martin's Toys & Memorabilia

A bringer of meaning to the term 'hidden gem', Wood Street is not your typical market layout. Instead of stalls, there are lots of little shops - some littler than others - and each beaming with the personality of the trader who 'lives' there. And as well as the usual market treasure types such as vintage and handmade craft, there is a framer's, artist studio, cafe, nail bar, cake-crafter and gin emporium. Dickensian style windows let you peer into each outlet, all snaking along a Willy Wonka-esque maze of corridors. You could potentially spend hours here, and be as fascinated by the next shop as you were the last.

One such shop was Bunty Olsen Vintage, where we were drawn immediately to the little black and white TV in the corner, which was playing old movies. Stepping through the door was a bit like stepping back in time, and is the kind of place where, as well as wanting to buy a lot of the stuff, you could spend the day reading or doing something tranquil. There was an air of period drawing room in here, and we felt very inspired by that!

Inside Bunty Olsen's

ILM likes a wee tipple every now and then and we were therefore enthralled by Mother's Ruin, a gorgeous little emporium selling homemade fruit liqueurs, gins and ales. Everything from the wallpaper down to the little labels on the bottles has been thought out and were beautiful, and the best part is that Becky, the owner, does everything herself; branding, bottling, growing and picking the fruit, and of course, making the alcohol. Despite it's small square footage, this is another one of those atmospheric shops you could easily spend hours in.

The wondrous Mother's Ruin

We're complete suckers for baby shoes here at ILM and so were taken in immediately by the knitted offerings from Butterfly. Lovely owner Jo not only offers a made-to-order knitwear service, which you can see her doing in the shop, but also houses captivating items of vintage, retro, and decoupage. Just about everything you need then, really!

If you're still not convinced to go and experience Wood Street for yourself, then know this: they have a resident dog. Nite the bichon frise is the happiest, friendliest little guy you could hope to come across on a visit to the shops and what's more, he's great at promotion. He picked up this ILM flyer and posed for the camera without us even asking him to. Hard working, and adorable!

We have still barely touched on the magic of Wood Street. There was never a more eclectic mix of shops and professions, including Wood Street Coffee (who use beans from an ILM fave, Climpson's and Sons), VXX Couture House, Being Sound and Forsaken Dreams... but you really must go and explore yourself. Every turn is a discovery and every discovery a delight, with truly friendly faces waiting to tell you about their wares, or just have a chat. So direct yourselves to E17 and have a wonderful, wicked, whimsical, whale of a time... we're sure that you will!

This awesome 1940s top from VXX Couture House is available from the ILM Online Shop, £60

 

The spellbounding corridors in Wood Street

Aura Rosa Cakes & Patisserie

Y. Wait Nail Bar and Beauty Salon

Check out our Facebook album for even more photos of Wood Street Indoor Market Wood Street Indoor Market 98-100 Wood Street Walthamstow London, E17 3HX 10am - 5.30pm, Tue - Sat 11am - 4pm, Sun Hollye Murphy

All's Fair in Love and Markets: Christmas Special

There's many things the I Love Markets team loves about this time of year: bonfires, hearty food, woolly hats... but something that gets us really excited is the sudden explosion of Christmas Fairs. London and the world are eager to show us what delights they want to sell to us this Christmas and here at ILM we are more than willing to oblige... so much so we went to a whopping THREE fairs in one week. Here's some of the wonders we stumbled across...

Country Living Christmas Fair

The Country Living Christmas Fair

We literally did not know where to start when we entered this magical maze of an event which housed hundreds of stallholders, all calling to customers ready to not just start but finish their Christmas shopping. Some of the fabulous people we met included...

Henry Arlington. We felt his shirts first hand and can agree they are made of the finest silk! We had lots of lolz with this dazzling shirt and accessories expert.

Henry Arlington

Joe Butler from Croglin Designs. We loved hearing the story behind his beautiful chopping boards - and his Christmas decorations made us pretty happy too! If these aren't an excuse for bread and cheese, what is.

Croglin Designs

We spent at least ten minutes cooing over Turquaz' pyjamas for babies. They had all sorts of things for grown ups too!

Turquaz at Country Living Christmas Fair

Real Four Leaved Clovers - all these clovers are real and snapped up from the founder's back garden! Lucky for some...

Real Four Leaved Clovers

From ice-cream soaps to vegan mud pies, Country Living had treated us well. After three and a half hours meeting these wonderful entrepreneurs it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Luckily a couple days later saw the start of...

The Spirit of Christmas Fair

The Spirit of Christmas Fair

ILM went West to Kensington Olympia, where the Spirit of Christmas was getting into full, seasonal swing. Greeted by the essence of spice and pine, we were once again subjected to the dilemma of which path to take first! It turned out a slightly more food and drink related one.

Crowded stalls were not hard to come by at this fair, but perhaps none were so crowded as Thunder Vodka. They unsurprisingly had flocks of customers swarming around their toffee flavoured vodka, which makes for a very creative cocktail ingredient... tempted, us?!

Thunder Vodka

After a bit of alcohol it was a good job Equalitea were around to tell us about their Christmassy teas. We got to sniff the leaves that went into the various festive flavours, such as First Flakes, a blend of raspberry, cocoa and cinnamon, and Oriental Light, which oozes scents of tangerines and spices. The business has been budding now for about a year... here's to many more!

Equalitea

Spirit of Christmas, which was sponsored by House & Garden Magazine, conveyed what passions the stallholders had for their growing businesses and ideas, which is always inspirational to us at the ILM team. Several samples and Christmas songs later, it was time for a quick tube ride over to...

Renegade Craft Fair

Renegade Craft Fair

ILM could not contain our excitement about this last fair - not only was it a chance to meet an endless array of talented designers and makers, but we were very proud to see a good handful of ILM members there too. Although Renegade was not by technicality a Christmas Fair, it was undeniably a haven for those looking for innovative, extraordinary and unique Christmas presents!

We loved the new collections that The Little Matters had on her stall - animals in woolly hats always win us round. We love meeting all our stallholders in person so it was really nice to speak to Lillian, the mind behind the Matters, for the first time!

The Little Matters

Hand Sculpted Vintage Camera Necklace by The Little Matters, £23

Mister Peebles never fails to provide us with literal glee. Who could turn away from David Meowie, Jimi Hendrix and the ever friendly Alright Duck? As always, Mr P's stall looked beautiful, adorned with all his cheeky animal friends.

Mister Peebles

Alright Duck Greetings Card by Mister Peebles, £3

When we first met Postcode Prints, they had began in South London and were 'aiming to get as far as they can from where they started'. They must be doing OK as they've managed to get to Truman Brewery E1, which is where Renegade was being held! It doesn't matter where you go though - Postcode Prints can create a cool and colourful print to suit your locality!

Camden Lock by Postcode Prints, £30

Usually seen at Old Spitalfields Market, Miss Ella quite possibly defines the word 'eclectic' by providing the world with her wonderous and often feline pieces. You can find out more about how she comes up with them here.

Merkitty Wooden Necklace by Miss Ella, £14

After pondering through hundreds and hundreds of stalls for the week, we were excited to remember that Renegade was being held right next to the Brick Lane Sunday Upmarket. A sneaky glass of mulled wine lifted our tired but inspired heads as we left the building! 

Mulled Wine outside Brick Lane Sunday Upmarket

We think it's now fair to say Christmas is coming...

If that's still not enough stallholders for you, remember we have over 700 of them - so take a look and find a favourite of your own! Similarly, if you didn't manage to complete or even start your Christmas shopping last week, we have some of the most unique products to fill your stocking with - available 24/7 online, of course! SHOP NOW.

We'll also be at our very own Christmas Fair. I Love Markets are taking over a corner of Handmade Christmas at the O2... listen out for how to win tickets!


Hollye Murphy