I've just been to the "market"

WillowTheWhisp · 16-09-2005, 14:49

Where's it all gone?

There are fewer stalls since the revamp and now it looks like half of those are empty.

Is it the rent which has driven stallholders away or the cramped conditions? Either way it's such a shame to see what our once thriving market has deteriorated into. People used to actually come to Accy to go to the market.

janet · 16-09-2005, 15:06

I also noticed the market was quite this afternoon willow.

SPUGGIE J · 16-09-2005, 15:43

I used to work on the old market and it saddens me to see it as it stands now. Stall holders are either just in profit or not even breaking even. Blame for this mess lies with the market administator and ultimately the council. Its almost like the market is not wanted by those in control yet they are the cause of the problems to start with.

mantrabooks · 16-09-2005, 16:03

I stand on the market at the moment. I started on Saturdays which is 15 pounds to stand and when I asked 'why is it so high' he reply if you don’t like it stand somewhere else - no wonder there’s nobody selling. I have now resorted to standing on Thursday and sometimes Sundays which is a little better (and a little cheaper) for a few hours, even so I started packing up at 2pm which is phenomenally bad as it should be a least 4pm. Now it seems they 'the phenomenally bad council' are blaming the bad trade on the car parking disc system of which they are now going to axe only after 10 long years of misery. But I don’t think that will change things much.

SPUGGIE J · 16-09-2005, 16:17

Unfortunatly the damage is already done and might be irriversable.

WillowTheWhisp · 16-09-2005, 17:19

How much is it on Thursday? That's the "flea market" day isn't it?

I do think it's tragic the way they have priced people off coming. The disc parking scheme didn't help either I suppose but there were always long stay places at the top of the Arndale and more often than not they were empty. I don't think people have much incentive to stay in Accy for more than a couple of hours.

garinda · 16-09-2005, 17:25

The old saying springs to mind, if it aint broke why fix it?

What do we have in the place of where the market last stood? Empty retail units still to rent, built I noticed last week for some reason, in a toy town interpretation of a French theme, with Chateauesque pitched roofs!

It was a thriving market, now we have to travel to neighbouring towns like Blackburn, Clitheroe, or better still Bury to experience what we have lost.

P*ss up, and brewery spring to mind.

accymel · 16-09-2005, 17:36

Sadly yeh the flea market was half barren yesterday too, & they can blame parking all they want but as ive said before about Accys trade is that the variety of shopping is lost, now its reduced to poundshops & card shops there is nothing else really, theres no big electrical retailers - that you have to got to b'burn or burnley same with clothes shopping. Look at b'burn & Burnley & you will see how poor & primitive shopping is cept for asda. Maybe the council want to look at attracting traders to the town then that will bring customers back from the other towns to the centre & the market

grannyclaret · 16-09-2005, 18:02

when i lived in burnley,,, i went on the train to accy market neary every tuesday...
it was so cheap and the veg and cooked meat stalls there were second to none..

garinda · 16-09-2005, 18:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by grannyclaret

when i lived in burnley,,, i went on the train to accy market neary every tuesday...
it was so cheap and the veg and cooked meat stalls there were second to none..

Unless I'm mistaken, instead of about ten stalls on the old outdoor market selling fruit and veg, I think there are just one or two there now.

SPUGGIE J · 16-09-2005, 18:11

Who said that progress was good? Stick them against a wall and run them through with a blunt stick. We had the best market around and now what we have is a joke and all because of HBC's narrow minded attempt to match surrounding towns as GC said she came from Burnley to Accy market and the powers to be could not appreciate that they had a liitle gem there. The ideas the council have had are as bright as a coal miners mush after 8 hrs at the coal face (no offence to ex miners).

SPUGGIE J · 16-09-2005, 18:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

Unless I'm mistaken, instead of about ten stalls on the old outdoor market selling fruit and veg, I think there are just one or two there now.

All that remains are 3 outside 1 inside yet at one time there was 10 outside and the one inside we lost the egg tripe bacon pets music cards clothes shoes toiletries dried food curtains cloth flowers sweets bakers fishing gear ornaments cafe and all to progress well to progress of this kind they can shove it were the sun dont shine!!!!! The town got a really raw deal out of this and its a disgrace!!!!!

grego · 16-09-2005, 19:04

I think the state of Accrington market and the town in general is really sad, there are an handful of nice shops and a few good stalls on the market and thats it. The town is overrun with pound and charity shops and isn't appealing at all, its not the parking that puts me off (I live in walking distance) its the shops, a lot of people I know visit Bury market on a regular basis and I tend to go to Manchester. I'd like nothing better than some decent shops moving into Accrington but I think its catch 22.

Neil · 16-09-2005, 19:13

Do you not think all town centres are on the decline? If you want electrical retailers you go to a big comet or currys. That is the same if you live in Accrington, Blackburn or Burnley. People use ASDA or Tesco for shopping instead of the market now. Many of us use ASDA or Tesco online so we can sit on out fat backsides and shop. Retail is moving out of towns and into retail parks. I don't think there is a way to reverse this.

grego · 16-09-2005, 19:21

I think you've hit the nail on the head Neil, we use the internet to shop for most items now, especially big household stuff.