Birkenhead Market announces stall switch as popular flea market triples in size

Nov 25 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

BIRKENHEAD Market’s popular flea market is on the move.

Stalls are switching from the back of the market to part of the area currently occupied by the casual (outdoor) market at the front.

The move will create 65 stalls, tripling the size of the flea market.

Birkenhead Market’s Danny Doyle said: “Every successful market has a successful flea market and the changes are making the front of the market a really vibrant area.

“Condensing the casual stalls has worked. It looks brilliant.

“The current flea market is open to the elements and there are only a small number of stalls, so a lot of the time we’re having to turn people away.

“We advertise it for Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays but it’s become a six-day market.”

Birkenhead Market has recently welcomed a host of new traders selling items like vintage clothing, evening and wedding dresses and Polish food.

Other newcomers have made the switch from Quiggins in Liverpool.

Mr Doyle said “We have a lot of traders now who sell gothic clothing and other gothic items.

“Those niche traders can’t sustain a high shop rent so a market is ideal for them.

“They don’t have to worry about security and they’ve got the footfall.”

The market welcomed 80,000 visitors last week and Mr Doyle said the market is expecting the figures to increase week by week in the run-up to Christmas.