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