There’s colourful Carla and her assistant Spidey (a squeaky spider that has a thing for cake) who can help you catch your dreams.
There’s gentleman Sid, a 78 year-old Welshman of art who never sees two days the same.
There’s on-it Tina who knows what you fancy before you even enter her cafe.
There’s lovely Lesley who makes nappy cakes to celebrate that newborn baby.
There’s sewing-machine Shaima, who’ll fix anything you wear with a smile.
There’s Denise the determined, who wakes at 2am to drive a long drive, so those just-collected sprouts you wanted are so fresh they’re still breathing.
There’s soft-spoken Stuart, who supplies your happy plants during garden season, or happy aromatherapy smells during stay inside and hug yourself season.
There’s straight-talking Pete, an 86-year-old sweet-seller, who’ll tell you how it is whilst offering the sweetest sweets.
There’s cheerful Chris, who knitted her way to a mountain of baby clothes during lockdown, and now sells wool with happy husband Ian.
There’s resilient Pauline, a stall-holder of many years, who can help you with a greeting card or replace that missing button.
There’s savvy Sarah, a florist who covers every occasion with a smiling floral know-how.
There’s newcomers James and Fawn, setting up their business whilst juggling three kids, their new shop a warm glow of yes we can.
And, there’s crafty Joanna, who wasn’t there to chat, but we did meet her assistant Ronnie the Wrong-Way Round Rabbit, who got made the wrong way round with a bum to the front: character.
And character, is certainly what Alfreton market hall has to offer.
1. Denise Balandis, Denise's Fruit and Veg.
Denise Balandis, 56, of Denise’s Fruit and Veg. “It’s fun. It’s testing sometimes, but I really do enjoy it. And meeting different people. The bonding we’ve got with all the traders. There’s not anybody you don’t get on with. Your customers, your regulars. My little old ladies. I’ve got people that’ve been coming all the time that I’ve been here. Which is nearly thirty years… My produce is fresh everyday.” Photo: Brian Eyre
2. Stuart Jackson, Bloomin Bootiful.
Stuart Jackson of Blooming Bootiful. “The community spirit. You mix with such a diverse range of people. Lots of people come in every single day, shop the market, go to the cafe for a tea, coffee, whatever… I would say to anybody that’s thinking about starting a new business up, it’s really worth it if you’re wanting to put your toe into the water… It’s a really good starting point.” Photo: Brian Eyre
3. Sid Sugden, Made by Judith.
Sid Sugden, 78, of Made by Judith. “We started off three and a half years ago and we knew nobody, now we know everybody. And the thing is we get customers that keep coming back. And it’s that local community and local bond, and everybody keeps an eye out for each other. It’s a wonderful community. It’s very interesting, because there’s never two days the same. You never know what’s around the corner.” Photo: Brian Eyre
4. Tina Evans, Tee's Cafe.
Tina Evans, 50, of Tee’s Cafe. “All the different characters. All the regulars that come in and you can say ‘usual?’ and you know what they want. It’s manic and fun. I started 2020. I opened for two weeks as a cafe, and then we ended up going into lockdown, so we did deliveries, folk coming in, forming a line, in a queue, then going back out. Collection. And we did that all the way through, and we’ve survived, yeah.” Photo: Brian Eyre