It’s happening again this week, and every week until well into the autumn. That’s right, today’s blog is about the new market at Cleveleys.
The First New Market at Cleveleys
The wind had dropped by Thursday, it’s a shame that it wasn’t as still for the start of the new market.
It was quite breezy on Wednesday, but at least the sun was out and Jane popped up in the morning to see what was what. She said that it was amazing what a difference it made when you approached the Plaza on the seafront, and it will be brilliant when it gets going.
This Wednesday coming (5 Sept) Jack Huckin is planning to come along and sing. He’s the amazing young lad who sings songs from the shows. The idea is to get different buskers and street performers coming too each week.
I just worry about the fact that it’s on the Plaza as it’s frontline for all the weather. With the market running until the end of November, heaven help it when the weather is bad as stall holders won’t come and people who like a market will stay home. We who live here all know what can happen with gale force winds etc. so I hope we carry on getting good weather and more and more stalls come, which is what Cleveleys needs. Anything to get the footfall going up in the town centre and not down. Just an observation while I’m here, that Tesco is closing because it’s been trading at a loss for over 6 months. So if they are, heaven help the others.
Of course there are moaners, as there always are, but a lot of the town centre traders are pleased that a market is taking place as they see the value of getting people to come here.
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/3PgVLJt0u9I?rel=0&showinfo=0″ title=”New weekly market at Cleveleys” description=”New weekly market at Cleveleys” /]
Some are complaining that they pay rates while stall holders pay £26 for their stall. However, we worked it out that if you paid £26 per day x 364 days a year (which is what the shops can open) it actually costs less per day to pay business rates. It’s only for a few hours once a week so I wouldn’t think it would do that much damage, don’t you think.
Jane suggested that they could have their own little stalls outside their shops which would increase their footfall, if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em isn’t that the motto. It certainly shows people what you sell, and it makes the town look a lot more interesting.
The New Market at Cleveleys
If you know anything about Cleveleys, you’ll know that the subject of markets has been widely discussed and always met a brick wall. Largely because of who owns which bit of pavement.
Anyway, months ago Jane had been looking at the block paving and reckoned that most of it was wide enough for stalls. So the Cleveleys Coastal Community team has worked with the council to make a long-held dream into reality. You can read the full story here about how Cleveleys market got off the ground.
As landlords own the pavement outside the shops they have to get permission from them all to use that land to put stalls on if it is to move to Vic Rd West.
Some shopkeepers are saying that no one contacted them about the market, but the market manager says everyone has been contacted personally. It has also been mentioned in each of the three updates that the Coastal Community Team hand delivered to all of the shops over a period of 18 months.
After all look what a stink up was made in Poulton when they started their market. That was daft beyond reason, the hate and nastiness that was created. The market manager himself was nearly spat on by one trader and it’s fair to say that ‘all hell broke loose’. Now, after weathering the storms, everyone loves the market and can see the value of them bringing people into Poulton to spend their money. Nobody’s trade has suffered, if anything it’s increased due to the attraction of the market. As one trader said ‘it’s brilliant now, it’s like having another Saturday with the amount of people that come to see the market.’
Give the New Market at Cleveleys a Chance!
I just hope that the traders of Cleveleys give the new market a chance to thrive. Remember also the noise made about the new trams, and how people were up in arms about them.
I also predicted then, having had these trams where I came from in Yorkshire, that once the public gave them a chance they would love them, and guess what, they do. I think it’s fair to say that most people wouldn’t go back to the smelly slow trams even though they were lovely to look at. It’s the same with anything new I think. People tend not to like change and have to get used to it before they can see it’s worth supporting, so let’s hope that’s the case here.
Indoor markets never seem to work properly, for me. When we had the indoor market at the end of the High Street which is now Poundland, whenever we went in there weren’t many people in or seeming to buy. I don’t know what it is about outdoor markets but they have a charm of their own and, as daft as it sounds, they’re more accessible when they are in front of you.
I hope the council has the sense to put adequate signs up on the High Street. If I was a visitor and didn’t know the place well, I wouldn’t have had a clue there was a market on the Plaza. Or even what the Plaza is, don’t you think? If they get on quickly with putting some signs up, it can help visitors or even locals to go and find it.
The whole idea, which Jane is passionate about, is making sure that Cleveleys doesn’t fade into oblivion in years to come, like so many other towns have. It would be sad on so many levels but it can happen. It’s up to us to make sure it doesn’t by any means and needs all the traders to pull together to make it an even more super town!
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