Artisan Market to trial Sunday move

Keith Purdom, Chairman Wilmslow Town Council said....."This is public engagement at its best."

Keith - the Wilmslow public are already telling you what they want. However, you are just not listening to them. They do it with their feet - every Saturday. They come into the town in their thousands on Market days and then don't come back the following Saturday.

And all the research, focus groups and consultants reports you can buy, won't give you any more valuable insight than that. Instead, you should ask why some retailers with a hoard of local shoppers outside their door, can't actually sell them anything? Then think if these are the sort of vibrant, dynamic and successful retailers who will keep our town center alive?

I'll let the good folk of Wilmslow answer that one for you - every Saturday. With their feet.

Well said Mark ,the above comment is as clear as crystal

Well said only time will tell.

Why should the public purse have to pay for research? The artisan market should be made to pay, they are a business and want to use the land (ie Grove St) so should be paying for anything that facilitates that use. Does anybody know how much they actually pay for every event? Im not saying its a bad thing for the town, but they need to pay their dues just like the shop owners do 365 days a year.

Spot on Mark. I've just read that Dickinsons Real Deal is on in town on the 21st Sept, a market day. How on earth is data gathering going to cope with that? Does he know? Will there be "anti antiques on a sat" banners? :-)
However, fun aside, i think a market move to sunday will cause the traders to also vote with their feet, and we'll start to lose key stalls and traders, some of whom have local businesses as well, and use this as a marketing platform to promote their businesses. So the market will be diluted, and data gathering skewed by a Nov-Dec seasonal trend, with no control data. Maybe?

Wake up people. When do the shops start opening on a Sunday leading up to Christmas?
This is not a result for anyone. I am sure the street traders will soon use their free Saturday to support another town.

I suspect that any business which struggles in the face of mega-footfall will fare no better when the high street falls dead again on the third Saturday of the month. To suggest that the market does not attract the 'right' clientele to Wilmslow demonstrates anti-market snobbery and huge misunderstanding. We sell high end patisserie from our Cheshire Tarts stall - the products are also sold at upmarket retailers including Harvey Nichols. We are local, we are artisan and our success at the market has enabled us to get a fledgling business of the ground and in turn support the local economy (albeit modestly). Of course we will be giving the Sunday market a go but as a Wilmslow resident I just don't think it will have quite the same appeal for traders or locals ... so its back to square one - has anybody got any ideas as to how we're going to liven up this town a bit?

Angela, you are so right. This is an award winning market, with award winning traders. I try to do my bit, in my way, but i could easily lose faith rapidly in this town. I can always just go to work and not get involved. My biggest issues are: resident for 25 years, and i am not being consulted. Business for 14 years, and i am not being consulted.... So why do just the few get listened to? Listening to the minority is good, but i dont see that minority trying to do anything innovative and proactive. I can say this because i try, and my friends try, and we are in print as trying, for little personal gain. I am old enough to also know, that comments like this, wont make a single bit of difference.

This smacks of the action taken against the ST Lounge by 'Make Wilmslow Matter', i.e. a small group of highly motivated people are able to influence those who make the decisions, to suit their own purpose. Is George Orwell back in Town?

I am proud to be a 3rd generation Wilmslow resident and stall holder. Its a great opportunity to engage with the people of Wilmslow and all others from all walks of life and encourage them to return for other events and shop, which many do. Every single person is a potential customer. Other towns would give their eye teeth to have the footfall on their doorstep. A captive audenice with spending power.

It appears the town council has yet again been rail roaded by certain sections of the community. Years ago M & S wanted to come to the high street in Wilmslow, but the the town council in their wisdom said no. The rest is history....

Well, congratulations on killing two birds with the proverbial one stone. Four dead Saturdays out of four in a month and a half-dead market on a Sunday, just like the one in Alderley Edge. And on the run-up to Crimbo too. Well done really.

Big mistake. The first comment is spot-on. Don't change a successful formula. Saturday is a shopping day, and many people do other things e.g. walk in the countryside, on a Sunday.

The problem is the "several" retailers, who have even contacted George Osborne in their campaign ! Let's be rid of them, as they may not deserve to be in business, and let everyone else continue enjoying the Saturday market... Many other retailers are clearly very much busier on a market day. Why don't they speak up ?

The professional market research will be worthless at that time of year (particularly with the Dickinson visit further skewing figures)

I wonder how many shops will be open on the Sunday to take advantage of the extra footfall
the Artisan Market will bring? (I know the lead up to Xmas is a busy time and they might have been open anyway) , And I agree with a previous comment if a shop can not take advantage of the additional people the market brings - shame on them.

I came across this quote recently, which seems very apt. It's from Herbert Swope, a multi-Pulitzer prize winning American journalist (but we won't hold that against him):

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody.”

The council are trying to please everybody, when in reality they cannot. It's unfortunate that the thousands of people in Wilmslow who like the market on a Saturday are ignored and they have sided with a few retailers who aim at the mega rich. Apparently, the moderately wealthy masses of the area are the "wrong sort of customer" for them. Where the "right sort of customer" comes from and how they get more of them to shop in Wilmslow is a mystery though.

Perhaps we should all remember that next time we vote for council members who promise to "improve Wilmslow and make a difference"?

@Mark Russell - I agree the research is a waste of council money that's almost on par with their gold chain fiasco. However, the Artisan Market must massively boost the councils car parking revenue when it is on, so I guess some of this extra money will be used to fund the research.

I think Mark Goldsmith ( who is this man ?) should understand the bigger picture here for the retailers in Wilmslow.These comments are unhelpful and rude to say the least. Helpful input is always worth taking notice of but not these nasty remarks. Does he even live here or shop here on a regular basis.

We have many independent businesses in the town who have traded successfully for years without the market. The obstacles presenting themselves apart from the economic downturn is the extortionate rent and rates we pay and the inability of the council to assist with limited free parking time.

We all agree the market is a great asset to the town and the two organisers have done an amazing job. No matter how 'dynamic' you expect us to be the fact is that people who visit Wilmslow on Market day are focused primarily on the market.

That said.... if people want a market they will come on a Sunday just the same. Wilmslow is quiet on a Sunday because very few shops open but with the possibility of a market day the doors will open and many traders we have spoken to are more than happy to take advantage of having an extra days trading. Just what the town needs.

Proven in other town around the area where a Sunday market is more of a family day out where everyone has more time to enjoy what the markets have to offer and more importantly the retailers have the choice to open or not and the added bonus being more free parking !

I must confess not to understand this suggestion that moving the market to Sunday will give retailers the opportunity to capitalise on the increased footfall. But if they don't capitalise on it on a Saturday, why (and how) on earth would they capitalise on it on a Sunday, when people just don't have a 'shopping mentality' at all?

There were shops that used to be open on a Sunday but then decided to close because it was more dead than any normal Saturday. The market on Sunday won't bring in the hundreds that come on Saturday, you just have to visit any other Sunday market out there. None of them are as thriving as the one in Wilmslow, no way near it.

The trial for Sunday is to allow the rate paying , rent paying retailers to protect their Saturday trade ( yes we have plenty). Sunday Market will be a bonus for Wilmslow retailers who take up the opportunity to have an extra trading day. The fact is that Sundays are very much shopping days now and for many working parents the day they can shop at leisure and include the family. You only have to look at the car parks at Handforth Dean, John Lewis etc. on Sundays.If we can encourage these customers, who love to shop on Sundays, that in Wilmslow they have a very family friendly alternative plus the bonus of the regular shops opening then surely that can only be a good thing for the town and the visitors. Only time will tell but give it a chance. Not one retailer surveyed was against the market. far from it, but of 97+ genuine hand written comments from each individual retailer questioned only 4 wanted the market to remain on Saturday. Of them, one doesn't even open on a Saturday !!!

Would it be too much to ask WTC or CEC to publish the name of the retailers who raised the objection to the one Saturday a month market?
I'm trying to picture just who would lose trade to the market stalls and pretty much all I can come up with is a national purveyor of low grade pastry goods who, obviously, would not sell much when fabulous food is on offer in the same street once a month.
The clothes shops might have a bit of competition but I've not noticed much clothing on the market... the fitted kitchen shop, the high-class jewelers, the banks, building societies and estate agent? The chemists, the book shops and newsagents, the shoe repair men, the shoe shop? None of those, so who is it?
Come on, WTC/CEC tell us, the voters and council-tax payers, who has prompted you to act?

Pete, I raised this point myself when this was first reported on the site a couple of weeks back. Quite frankly, I cannot even come up with 97 retails on Grove Street or its proximity and I too cannot imagine charity shops, banks, estate agents, Clinton Cards, Jane Shilton, Rymans, Waterstone's and Timpson to be affected and/or to care either way. Unless the provincial mind-set of 'it's hard for me, so let's make it harder for you too' applies, as the (not-so-) veiled suggestions that traders don't pay rates and/or don't have to be clean and tidy certainly infer.

Absolute Idiots is the only thing I can think of
I am a stall holder and have been since the very beginning
People are right stall holders will go to another town on the spare saturdays they now have
So thanks for the chance to do that !
But guess what it may be so good elsewhere we may not come back !
I have stood on Grove Street in all weathers for 2 years plus and watched Grove Street become a thriving shopping area which the public love!
Certain people in the town are trying to kill this as they are too stuck up to embrace the market.... My god they even moan about pies being sold !!
Come on anyone with half a brain can see the market is not harming business it creates it !
These businesses have cost the people of Wilmslow a 2 day xmas market this year
An event which has been great in the past
They have also caused some traders to lose their stall , some of whom rely on that market for a living
But hey who cares as long as a few ungrateful businesses are kept happy
Businesses who I doubt do very well the rest of the month anyway !
But do you know what I and the rest of the market will not give in because we love wilmslow and we are so grateful for the chance to trade there and serve the brilliant people that come and see us every month
Please residents of the town don't give up cos its a sunday come and see us and we all promise you we will continue to bring you the very best in product and produce every single time !

@Pete Taylor....
Your "guesses" are closer than you may think !

Where are all these people who want the market moved to Sunday? Why are they afraid to speak up publicly and name themslves? Why can`t they attract some of these potential customers on their doorstep to come into their stores? Why are they hiding? Why did this page have to be closed before as they were setting up false identities? Why should my council tax be spent on research which is not needed? The organisers of the market have done a wonderful job in bringing people to the town and they have bent over backwards to try and please everyone. This Market day is the best, most vibrant thing that has happened here in the 23 years I have lived in Wilmslow.

Is this some bizarre attempt at revenge for the failure of the "pasty tax"? I read here that some folks aginst the Saturday market have complained to the man who tried to introduce that... our MP.

Reading through all the comments, it seems sad that there is a common thread of negativity in the writing about the proposed move. Many of the largest markets in France are held on a Sunday, so let's look forward to a change of day with confidence. The customers will still come to the shops on Saturday and to the market on Sunday, and so will the stall holders. The market is great - onwards and upwards!

Such a shame that one of the really great successes in Wilmslow in recent years is being messed about with. I agree to some extent with Anna. However, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!

I echo the calls for the objectors to make themselves known. Why the secrecy? What have they got to be ashamed of?

But, for the record, I will not be attending a Sunday market. I have other things to do on a Sunday, as have many other people. However, this will not increase my use of Grove Street shops on a Saturday - quite the reverse.

I am aware that many artisan markets trade on a Sunday, but the circumstances of each market are different. Some are in areas with rather more of a tourist base than Wilmslow; some are in areas that already have a market on other days of the week. The simplistic comparisons being made by some are not relevant to the present case.

It is beyond belief that anyone can seriously contend that one day a month with an added attraction in rown can affect anyone's trade to the extent that has been claimed.

Yet again I see in many of the posts to this topic a clear strain of snobbishness and defensiveness. It is also clear that many people are posting in ignorance of anything approaching the facts. A trail of misinformation and prejudice is no way to advertise a town. Do some of the readers remember that this is not read by just a few people in town but can be - and is - accessed worldwide?

How unpleasant this blog has become with insults abounding. It is clear that most visitors to the market merely wish to purchase a couple of up-market tarts, peruse the charity shops in the hope of spotting a desirable fashion label item going cheap and enjoy the mix of expensive coffee and diesel fumes. The stall holders seem to think they are doing us a favour "supporting" the town and I sincerely hope they are not fooling any of the contributors to this blog! Some understanding of micro-marketing and social dynamics would assist some contributors!!

It is such a shame that it has come to this. It strikes me that the retailers are blaming the wrong people - if they are struggling to find custom on the 30 days when the Artisan Market isn't there, then I doubt moving it to a Sunday will do anything to help them. It will simply reduce the footfall in the town on Saturdays.

A retailer above stated "The obstacles presenting themselves apart from the economic downturn is the extortionate rent and rates we pay and the inability of the council to assist with limited free parking time." I fail to see what these issues have to do with the Artisan Market.

Hi Simon - those people who come to the market "to purchase a couple of up-market tarts, peruse the charity shops in the hope of spotting a desirable fashion label item going cheap and enjoy the mix of expensive coffee and diesel fumes" are the people of Wilmslow and when they come into their town centre in droves on market day they are making a very clear statement as to what they want. They want atmosphere, choice and something different. The Wilmlsow elite, who are apparently going to come out of the shadows once the market is out of the way, are a complete fantasy. People with plenty of disposable income are attracted to town on market day in the same way as those with tighter budgets - the beauty of the market is that it appeals to everyone.

The wilmslow elite !
You are all elite as far as I am concerned
As a trader I welcome you all
I don't care if you have 50p or £5,000 in your pocket
The fact is you come out on market day and you are what makes the day special
Its not just stalls or shops its the whole package
I sell at other Artisan events and I assure you Wilmslow is head and shoulders above the others
Its a very special market that we have all created , please don't kill it.

The Artisan Market Company are implementing a number of changes at this Saturday's event as we feel it is important that we listen to the requests of the permanent retail community and are able to act swiftly and comprehensively to their recommendations (some of these changes were introduced at the August event following our meeting with the retailers on July 20th). We hope that implementing these changes Artisan Market day will be a great day for the town as a whole.

We have reduced the number of gazebos and thus market traders by 15% on Grove Street to facilitate more freedom of movement for visitors.

We have relocated the trader from immediately outside Harrington & Hallworth - there will not be any gazebos in this area.

We have repositioned the gazebo outside Jane Shilton to allow access to the
public bench.

We have removed the market traders/stalls that had some/any duplication.

We have removed our Fishmonger completely for this and all future events.

We have reduced the number of street food vendors to limit the smells and
repositioned the swing grill furthest away from residential property.

We will ensure the music volume levels of our entertainment are within
acceptable limits.

We have been inspected by Trading Standards in August 2013. Report available from CEC.

Extended trading hours of 10am-5pm are being adhered to.

Traders have been requested to bring sufficient stock to accommodate these extended hours and have been advised that they have a commitment to stay until 5pm.

Vehicle access is only allowed between 7am - 8.20am and after 5pm for trader vehicles on Grove Street.

Infrastructure supplier has been instructed that dismantle is not to
commence until after 5pm and once traders have vacated the site.

Environmental Health Office will be inspecting within the next 3 months (we
are not privy to the date of inspection).

All traders have been asked to display their food hygiene certificates. We
retain copies of Public Liability Insurance certificates from each trader
and all food/drink market traders are registered and have been inspected by Environmental Health Office (this is a stipulation in order to trade with
us).

Based on feedback we receive from this Saturday's market we will again
implement any further changes that are required for the October event.

We look forward to another very busy day in Wilmslow on Saturday.

I have been watching this debate develop over the last few weeks and I am really shocked that we could be at a point that we will kill this event. I have been in retail since the 90's and have seen the many changes of our high street (My most recent role in charge of 495 stores belonging to a well known brand across the UK in traditional high street, out of town and shopping precinct locations) and I hope I am wrong when I say that I believe this move will see the market change for the worse, because what we currently have in Wilmslow is a fantastic success and part of that success, I believe, is that it is held on a Saturday.

I have done battle with local councils all over the country trying to get them to engage more with local retailers and trying to get them to agree to events like the Artisan Market and on a number of occasions I have used the setup and success of Wilmslow to prove my point and now we are here trying to ensure that our Artisan market does not become a memory. Another post on this subject quotes the Chairman of WTC saying there are 3 options, Stay on a Saturday, move to a Sunday or close! Are we really talking about closing this successful event?

Yes there will be retailers who see a dip on market day and equally retailers who see a spike but moving or closing the market will be even more detrimental for everyone. This market has brought new visitors to Wilmslow, visitors that spend money and who revisit month after month, visitors that wouldn’t come to Wilmslow if the market is gone. Equally you will find a lot of these visitors won’t come on a Sunday, as quite frankly Wilmslow is not a “7 day trading” town and never will be. Not all the stores will open on a Sunday and other towns and villages have a lot more to offer visitors who are looking for something different on a Sunday. I suspect during the trial the footfall will not dip too much as people will support the first one and the second one is during the main Christmas shopping run and has always been planned to take place, so a survey will not give a true result. I fear the real results will be known in the new year when visitors don’t venture out on a Sunday and inevitably the traders will have moved on to which ever town has taken the Saturday slot that Wilmslow rejected (and I could name 10 or 15 towns and villages in Cheshire that I know will be rubbing their hands together at the thought of filling the gap!)

If you are a “bricks and mortar” retailer that can’t embrace the Market on a Saturday and what it brings then I urge you to look at the alternative, not only will you have that Saturday back to normal but you will have the added problem of driving footfall back into the town as well, and those of you who have traded for a while will know that’s one of the hardest things to do in retail. And to those residents who “stay away on market day because it is too busy and just awful” you too will have your quiet Saturday back to spend your money and you will also have no problems parking as the town will be like all the other Saturdays, or perhaps you could consider coming in early on Market day or visiting during the week, afterall you are saying how much you support the town and its retailers so why would you go elsewhere?

I can’t advocate independent retail enough and its importance on the High St, (despite my retail background) and personally very rarely shop in multiples, I use local food shops to do all my weekly shopping including the markets and this is what the market says to me “Independent retail working together” and the organisers have turned it into one of the most successful in the Northwest and I hope we are not soon talking it about it as a memory.

Well said Mr Fogharty!! Those who want to change this market for their own sakes should take note. Golden egg and goose springs to mind.................

Nothing like a lively debate! (A couple of years ago, we didn't even have a market to get heated about). Mr Fogharty's comments are excellent. The Artisan Market Co are really doing their best to accommodate everyone, thank you to them.

I have a stall on the Artisan Market. I love it. I am based in Styal. I shop local, Whitestuff, Hoopers, Hawthorns Deli, Paperchase,Fat Face, Hullabaloo, Waitrose, Waterstones, Charity shops (god forbid) to name a few and also Chapel Lane shops. If the market was on every Saturday I could understand the trouble it would cause but it is one day. I am proud to attend this market and as a local realise what a difference it makes to Wilmslow. The people who come to my stall love the market and how it makes the town so vibrant. All we 'common market traders' can have an excuse for doing badly, too wet, too cold , too sunny, too few people (I have never heard of anybody complaining about too much footfall) etc etc. I wish the shopkeepers would embrace it and use it to their advantage. At the last market a lady and gentleman who own a coach firm said they may get in touch with Denise to see about organising trips. I suppose the coaches would get in the way though.

@Jenny Gliksman
"I think Mark Goldsmith ( who is this man ?) should understand the bigger picture here for the retailers in Wilmslow."


Jenny - like Vince above, I work in retail too. And marketing. I advise companies such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Boots in the UK and retailers all across Europe on shopper behaviour and how they can make it easier for their customers to buy products from them.

With 25 years marketing experience working for blue chip consumer goods companies and as a buyer for the Argos Retail Group, I have an MBA and am a Chartered Marketeer too. I also give talks on how retail is changing and the changes that are yet to come.

I therefore like to think I do "understand the bigger picture".

Wilmslow has been my happy home for the past 12 years and I am sorry you find my comments nasty - I actually want to help and have offered to assist their retailers FOC on how they can capitalize from Market day. When I do visit the town, I see most retailers do absolutely nothing different on Market Day to other days. And then they wonder why their sales are down.

But the problem seems to be that you have to first recognize that you need help. It's not the wrong type of customer,or that rates are too high or that only foodies come to the market that is the problem. It is why the struggling retailers don't ask "how do I maximise this brilliant opportunity I get once a month?"

Perhaps this shows why the High St is in demise and why independent retailers can struggle so much. Their lack of business skills often means their shop is a hobby rather than a viable business. Ultimately, though I want the best for Wilmslow and want to help local traders avoid shooting themselves in the foot by killing off the Market.

I hope to attend the Wilmslow Business Group meeting in November, so am happy to meet you there if you like, although you don't seem to be a member of this group.

Vince - you couldn't have said it better.

Just to mention Wilmslow was to have a fantastic xmas market on sat and sun in dec but the "anti mob" have put paid to that
We now just have the sunday
I don't need to tell anyone how critical the xmas market is to the traders
Now we have lost 50% of that because of people who wont even stand up and say who they are
That loss will really hurt some of the traders
Traders who have worked hard to bring the town a great market
Do we not deserve better than this ?
I do hope you are all satisfied now............

Peter, correct, this is a real shame. The business group tried a market once, flaws and all, but it had a few problems. The artisan 2day weekend xmas market proved far better, more controlled, and yes, we will be denied this, and that feels so, so wrong. Mark, Angela and others all have pertinent points, but this is a bit like letters to The Times, great for visibility but will it actually achieve anything? Voicing an opinion and being given the opportunity to do so via this great site is good for debate, but i fear wont achieve anything. Those opposed to the sat market do not debate it on here, they are furthering their cause in a more direct channel, possibly with greater effect. And the opposition are still unknown... given the freedom of information act, well, if someone wanted to pursue that, im sure they could. Footfall is no longer relevant here, nor are bricks, mortar, rent and rates, there is something deeper. For the cynics.. I'm a wilmslow resident, wilmslow business, in a fab Emerson property, rates, rent etc etc and i try to do my bit.

Blimey. We are local producers who are delighted to have a stall at the market. I am pleased, and not surprised, to read the supportive messages on here from people who enjoy the market.

The outstanding issue, however, seems to be the identities of those against the market in its current format.

Please will those who object identify yourselves on here?

Enjoy the market this Saturday everyone
It's going to be the best yet because the spirit the traders have will not be broken
The people of wilmslow want this market and as long as they want us we will be there !

Enjoy the market this Saturday everyone
It's going to be the best yet because the spirit the traders have will not be broken
The people of wilmslow want this market and as long as they want us we will be there !

@steve Kennedy
So so wrong dosnt even come close
To cost traders who have worked so hard all year 50% of the Xmas market is just a really dirty trick
But not just that it's cost wilmslow a great event as well
The moaners behind this should be ashamed of themselves and at least waited til jan to begin the Sunday trial , but oh no let's take away the best days trading of the year
Many people on here want to know who is behind all this
It's not hard to work it out if you read carefully
I just hope they really enjoy the dead Grove street they will end up with

Just back from another visit to our fantastic, top quality, vibrant, eclectic Wilmslow Artisan Market that was simply buzzing!! Long may it continue as it is. A social hub for our community, held in the retail heart of our community that once a month bursts into life as we are gifted some long lost variety to our Grove Street shopping choices. Note, our community.

Thank you to all who work to give us the Wilmslow Artisan Market, stallholders and organisers both.

The homemade pies were delicious!!!!!

We have had a great day at Wilmslow today
Very close to our best ever !
Thank you so much to all the people of Wilmslow who come out en mass and really support this brilliant market !

I wandered round Wilmslow twice yesterday. It was evident that Sainsbury's and the various coffee shops (and the council via parking charges) were benefiting from the influx. It was also evident that the previous over crowding that too many stalls on Grove caused has been dealt with. The smell of cooking on Grove Street was also absent which I believe is due to the council ordering(?) that no cooking take place on the street. There was room to move about and peruse the goods on offer and the whole ambiance was much more pleasant. Perhaps the next step for market day would be to remove the coffee shops' chairs and tables from what is still a public highway and allow more space for the public and market.
I also observed the actions of the shoppers on Grove Street which confirmed what I have said before. They come for the market and most do not even glance behind to look at the shops. Considering that there are only two or three independents on Grove Street and most of the rest are clones, cafes or shut financial institutions (8?) why would anyone come from their own town to shop in a different branch of what they already have? I have long stated that any business wishing to occupy retail premises (especially in compact town/village centres) should have to open retail hours, especially on a Saturday. Either that or move out forcing down rents (see previous rants about landlords) allowing the variety of independents we used to have to flourish again!!

As Heidi says the Market was excellent on Saturday. I visited with relations from Suffolk and they thought it was wonderful. They also bought things from Hoopers, Waterstones and Jane Shilton. We then had a meal at Strada. We would not have gone into Wilmslow had the market not been on as they originally said they would like to go to John Lewis. All the shops we went into were busy.

When I was a child in Wilmslow in the 1940s and 50s the "village" was supported by a large local farming community and it was common for families to source fresh and delicious produce from local traders. I have not lived in Wilmslow since 1964. During the intervening 49 years, Wilmslow became a Manchester dormitory town. Many of the local traders were pushed out and the "big boys" took their place. In recent years I have not felt any wish to travel the few miles to Wilmslow for shopping. I can obtain all of the goods "the big boys" sell from similar stores more local to me. If I wish to purchase special things at a good price I buy them "on line." However, since the Wilmslow Artisan Market came to Grove Street, I have been thoroughly enjoying my monthly Saturday market visit to Wilmslow for general shopping. The local producers present have revived some of the old qualities of shopping. The ambience is wonderful and stallholders and customers chat to one another! Sunday would not be convenient for me,I do lots of other things on Sundays.