Longsight Market Manchester: An Abundance of Choice

By theorkneynews on November 21, 2017 • ( Leave a comment )

Orkney News roving reporter Nick has been on his travels again……

By Nick Morrison

We don’t have a traditional outside market in Orkney, our population is a wee bit small to sustain one! However many towns and cities in the sooth do.

photo N Morrison

I am not certain just how old Longsight market is but I was shown a picture of an earlier parents stall of some 30 years ago by a local. The market manager is fairly certain that there are 3rd generation stallholders in the market.

The market is a bustling cheerful good humoured delightfully multi ethnic place. Every type of skin colour and facial type is to be seen. This is reflected in both the customers and the stall holders. One stall holder on hearing who I was and what I was about suggested I bring a coach load of Orcadians to the market.

And it works wonderfully! It is open 5 days a week. Tuesday and Thursday’s are “flea market” and Wednesday/ Friday/ Saturday are normal days. The pictures are from a normal day.

Photo N Morrison

The surrounding shops all appeared to be doing good business as well, there being very few closed shops in the vicinity of the market. This is in contrast to areas away from the market where the number and frequency of closed shops rises.

So whatever is causing shop closures, and the Internet and supermarkets take some of the blame. it is not demonstrably markets. Indeed it would appear that the market is even ” a draw” to the area.