Sunday, April 16, 2006
Continental Market
South Shields toasts Continental success!
King Street was the place to be to savour flavour as tastes of the continent arrived in South Shields at the weekend. Last year's Continental Market was not a great success, as I outlined in this blog, it was held too close to Christmas, offered the wrong products at the wrong time of year, faced too much complacency from shoppers interested in Christmas gifts, and battled against bitterly cold winds.
Lessons have obviously been learned and this event has brought a bigger feast of treats from more traders and more countries. Shoppers were much more attracted and interested, and more cash changed hands. Easter and springtime introduce feelings of new life, freshness, and a willingness to change, important qualities to the trader wishing to merchandise goods to a new receptive market. In short, this continental market is in the right place and at the right time!
The greatest interest was in food, ready to eat, couscous from Morroco and Turkey, dried sausage from Germany, cheeses from France, hot bratwurst and frikadellen, pancakes from Holland, paella from Spain (piping hot), garlic and fresh vegetables from Belgium. King Street was ablaze with colour as the well presented stalls stretched from the Market Place almost down to the Metro Bridge, giving eager shoppers a variety that has been missing from our shopping centres for many years. There were leather goods, jewelry, plants, paintings and works of art, clothing, confectionary and candy floss to tease and excite the imagination, as well as the wallet.
This event has vindicated those who wished to doggedly pursue the idea after last year's disappointment, they know now, when and where to place it, the Easter Bank Holiday weekend may never be the same again. Perhaps we don't all wish to spend our Bank Holiday tramping around the nearest D.I.Y. shed filling our trolleys with plants and barbecues.
Having enjoyed dry weather, with reasonable warmth, the Good Friday processions, and the opening of the summer season at the Ocean Beach Pleasure Park, South Shields was the place to be!
This blogger was well impressed!
Here are some of the flavours and colours of the market - click the thumbnails to enlarge.
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Curly Born in 1956
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