On a sunny Sunday this market, in the walkway leading to the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre, was buzzing. Known as the Upmarket it offers a wide selection of traders selling arts and crafts, treats and sweets, handcrafted gifts, jewellery and artwork. Something of a general market feel to it. There were food stalls, clothing and accessories. The footfall was exceptional and the 50+ stalls were busy with the metaphorical cash registers ringing.
There was a very good busker filling the airwaves between the stalls and the canal where the barges parked up and lots of neatly mown grass and pretty hanging baskets. A lovely place to sit and eat your lunch.
We met up with Rich Evans who calls himself a flame worker. He taught us how he created his pieces of glass jewellery from his studio; the whole process was fascinating and certainly very educational.
| Pitch Cost | £79 |
| Market Day | Every Sunday |
| Market Times | 10.00 – 17.00 |
| Contact For Stalls | ted@lsdpromotions.com | 01384 877 336 | 07736 777 244 |
| Facilities | Local coffee shops and restaurants |
| Parking | Ample parking early on Sunday morning | NCP Carpark off Rother Street is good |
| Added Benefits | Stratford is busy with tourists on a Sunday anyway | RSC is an attraction | Always a busker adding to the atmosphere |
The hot food stalls were positioned together at the top end of the market, where there were significant queues of folk wanting their lunch. The smell of fried food filled the air with what looked like one company having the monopoly of the hot food stands. There was nothing remotely vegan or vegetarian on offer in this area and was more of a fairground-type offering.
We spoke with Gary and Hannah from the Cookie Cottage who told us all about their success at this market – particularly with their Instagram following. If any market trader is an inspiration with their use of Social Media this couple certainly took the prize!
The footfall was very good but not sure that it warranted such a high pitch fee – clearly it does as there were many stalls on offer – but if the weather had been less than sunny it may not have been so lucrative out of season? The stalls were very tidy and looked in good condition though so that is an added bonus as many stalls that are provided for at other markets can look rather tired.
Overall a good market for stallholders because of the excellent footfall.