Holding a Stall
July 12th 2007 16:49
We’ve been to a number of street markets since we arrived in England, particularly in Northampton, Bedford, Norwich and some smaller places like Wymondham, and I’m constantly amazed at the amount of work these guys have to do. When I say ‘guys’ I include women as well, since the markets are run pretty much equally by both sexes.
Not only do they have to set everything up in their stalls every day and pack it all away again at night, but they presumably have to procure the produce, whether it be fruit and veges, or cellphones or secondhand books or watches or all the other paraphernalia that goes into running a market.
It’s more than a full-time job, to my way of thinking, and though most of them look as though they enjoy it, you see a number sitting gloomily in their stalls waiting for customers and watching dozens of people passing them by every few minutes.
The stall-holders in Norwich are fairly well off by comparison with some of the marketers. Their stalls are now permanent, and they can presumably leave a good deal of their stock shut up in the wooden boxes that their stalls consist of. This would be a major plus.
Obviously the fruit and vege people, and those who make food and provide drinks aren’t in quite such an enviable position, but at least all the basics are there for them to start with each day.
I watched a stallholder who sold flowers and plants in the Northampton market clearing away the other night. By the time his truck had arrived, he had shifted the crates into piles, begun folding up the trestles, and shifted the table tops. When the truck came, all that gear had to be moved into the back of it, presumably in a certain order, so that it would fit comfortably. But that’s only part of his job. Somewhere along the line he’s either got to grow all these plants and flowers, or else get them from somewhere. I wonder how early his day starts?
For a brief time when I ran the bookshop, we decided to take a stall in the Friday market our city has. We were fairly fortunate there in that the stalls were set up for us, including the trestles. But then we had to set all our wares out, make sure we had change and pricing sorted, find somewhere behind all this to sit (it’s an awful long day on your feet otherwise) and then wait for the customers, while a cold breeze blew through the stalls.
We gave it up after a couple of attempts, partly because it was pretty unproductive, but even more so because all the additional work involved just didn’t cut the mustard.
The photo is of Norwich market. Most of the pictures you'll find on the Net show bright coloured canvas-covered stalls. These have been gone for some time.
Not only do they have to set everything up in their stalls every day and pack it all away again at night, but they presumably have to procure the produce, whether it be fruit and veges, or cellphones or secondhand books or watches or all the other paraphernalia that goes into running a market.
It’s more than a full-time job, to my way of thinking, and though most of them look as though they enjoy it, you see a number sitting gloomily in their stalls waiting for customers and watching dozens of people passing them by every few minutes.
The stall-holders in Norwich are fairly well off by comparison with some of the marketers. Their stalls are now permanent, and they can presumably leave a good deal of their stock shut up in the wooden boxes that their stalls consist of. This would be a major plus.
I watched a stallholder who sold flowers and plants in the Northampton market clearing away the other night. By the time his truck had arrived, he had shifted the crates into piles, begun folding up the trestles, and shifted the table tops. When the truck came, all that gear had to be moved into the back of it, presumably in a certain order, so that it would fit comfortably. But that’s only part of his job. Somewhere along the line he’s either got to grow all these plants and flowers, or else get them from somewhere. I wonder how early his day starts?
For a brief time when I ran the bookshop, we decided to take a stall in the Friday market our city has. We were fairly fortunate there in that the stalls were set up for us, including the trestles. But then we had to set all our wares out, make sure we had change and pricing sorted, find somewhere behind all this to sit (it’s an awful long day on your feet otherwise) and then wait for the customers, while a cold breeze blew through the stalls.
We gave it up after a couple of attempts, partly because it was pretty unproductive, but even more so because all the additional work involved just didn’t cut the mustard.
The photo is of Norwich market. Most of the pictures you'll find on the Net show bright coloured canvas-covered stalls. These have been gone for some time.
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