Familiar faces keep market so vibrant
SWANSEA Market has been crowned the best large indoor market at the Great British Market Awards 2020.
The people of the city have been buying and selling at a market on the same spot, in one form or another, since the Middle Ages and there have been four built on the site in the past 200 years alone.
Situated right in the heart of the city centre, the market has survived recessions and even bombing raids, having been devastated by explosions which destroyed the roof and most of the interior of the building during the Second World War.
Whatever has been thrown at it, the store owners at the market have bounced back and they’re still adapting to changing customer habits and future-proofing their businesses today.
Despite the awards and recognition of their hard work, the business owners there want the people of Swansea to keep getting behind their market.
“What’s the saying? ‘Use it or you lose it’”, said Mark Adams, who runs Billy Upton’s Butchers at the Oxford Street entrance to the market.
Mr Adams has been serving people for four decades and it runs in the family, with his son working with him. He says business is good but wants people not to take the market for granted and support the independent businesses there all year round to ensure it stays successful.
“This place is a central hub for shopping in Swansea. We’ve invested our heart and soul into this business and business is good at the moment. I’ve seen it change a lot over the years and you’ve got new independent shops coming in still.
The Falafel Stall and the CBD oil place that’s just opened.
“But, some people are struggling here and that needs mentioning. Footfall is down for most of the year. At Christmas time the market is heaving, but then we might not see those customers again until next Christmas.”
As well as more traditional produce stores the market is moving with the times. The Falafel Stall opened two years ago and is expanding now. “The people who work for me are old customers. We spend 11 hours each day between us preparing the food, it’s hard work. I was attracted here for financial reasons but also because the market is a central hub, I’ve been coming here myself since I was a kid,” said owner Dan Stallard.
You might even see a famous face or two in the market. Alan Curtis, Swansea City legend, was there to see his son, Ian, who owns Storm in A Teacup coffee shop, one of the newer businesses there.
Swansea Market has weathered a few storms in its time and it looks like its success will continue for the next generation, as long as the people of the city want it, the store owners there will continue to provide it.