Brockley Market: Week 1 [UPDATED]
"George Lucas was once told there were no sounds in airless space. He didn't believe it. Today, George Lucas is a billionaire."
- Ambush Bug
Let us give you a word of advice: Always bet on Brock. The organisers of today's inaugural Brockley Market were hoping for a good start, with maybe 1,000 visitors giving it a try. After the first two hours they'd smashed that figure and queues [UPDATE: the final number of visitors was 2,100] had formed at almost every stall, catching the traders by surprise.
But it isn't a surprise really. The marketing had been exemplary, the list of traders recruited was superb and the choice of location was inspired. We said it would raise the bar for local markets and it did. Like The Orchard, Browns of Brockley and Brockley's Rock before it, Brockley Market proved that if you offer high-quality, the people of this area will reward you.
When the market's plans were revealed, the usual pessimists made some extraordinary claims: it was too remote, ugly, traffic-choked and crime-ridden to work. As the sun shone, the huge crowds, sold-out signs and groups and families chatting and hanging-out proved what nonsense those predictions were, as they were obviously going to be. It's not that Brockley Central is always right (we are, but that's not the point), it's that the doom-mongers are always so comically wrong.
It could do with some more hot food options, some of the stalls were a little pricey (although some were excellent value) but Brockley Market is a little bit of local genius. An underused car-park was transformed in to a new destination for SE4. The crowds will continue to come - more and more, from further and further afield. The stalls will multiply, the site will fill and we'll all wonder why it took so long for someone to think of this.
But it isn't a surprise really. The marketing had been exemplary, the list of traders recruited was superb and the choice of location was inspired. We said it would raise the bar for local markets and it did. Like The Orchard, Browns of Brockley and Brockley's Rock before it, Brockley Market proved that if you offer high-quality, the people of this area will reward you.
When the market's plans were revealed, the usual pessimists made some extraordinary claims: it was too remote, ugly, traffic-choked and crime-ridden to work. As the sun shone, the huge crowds, sold-out signs and groups and families chatting and hanging-out proved what nonsense those predictions were, as they were obviously going to be. It's not that Brockley Central is always right (we are, but that's not the point), it's that the doom-mongers are always so comically wrong.
It could do with some more hot food options, some of the stalls were a little pricey (although some were excellent value) but Brockley Market is a little bit of local genius. An underused car-park was transformed in to a new destination for SE4. The crowds will continue to come - more and more, from further and further afield. The stalls will multiply, the site will fill and we'll all wonder why it took so long for someone to think of this.
Click here for Hollowlegs' review.
