Hard work is the real key to Welsh market’s success
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 now. 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.
“I’m serving the grandchildren of the people I served 43 years ago, that’s what’s unique about Swansea Market.
“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 Christmastime the market is heaving, but then we might not see those customers again until next Christmas.”
Claire Swistun, 50, works at Penclawdd Cockles and Laverbread in the middle of the market. The business has been in husband Mark’s family for six generations.
“It’s like a little community here. The atmosphere is so good and we get to know people over the years. They aren’t just customers in the end, we serve the same people for years and years.
“We need to fight to keep the market. The rest of the high street needs investment, but there’s new things coming in here all the time.”
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, opening a new shop on Orchard Street.
“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.
Julie and Scott Ralph from Peterborough were visiting family in Swansea and stopped off at the market for a cuppa at The Lunch Box cafe
“We were just saying actually how clean it is in the market. We don’t have something like this in Peterborough,” said Julie.
“You can tell all the stalls make an effort and they look inviting, we always go for a wander around when we’re here.”
Sue Gilbert and Diane Thomas were at Cafe Janet and meet in the market once or twice a month to do some shopping and enjoy a catch-up.
“I’ve been coming to the market for 47 years. It’s the fresh produce, people have things here that you can’t find in supermarkets. I come here once or twice a week to stock up,” said Sue, 68, who lives in Swansea.
Diane, 60, travels from Port Talbot using her free bus pass. “There’s nothing like this in Port Talbot, so I come here on the bus with my freezer bag to get what I need.”
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 the 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.