Teenage Market Review

As promised, here’s a review of the first 'Teenage Market’ to hit my city in May. Please note that because it was written a few months ago, my tender age of ‘seventeen’ noted, might confuse people and I'm now of course eighteen (I’m not really that embarrassed of giving my age away yet - I swear!).

Review of my local Teenage Market

(Saturday 16^th May 2015)

Being an inquisitive seventeen year old, currently obsessed with anything remotely ‘hipster-esque’ the lour of a ‘Teenage’ Market to hit my area was too good to resist. This is the craze currently sweeping the country, where-by traders and performers at these events are all between the ages of 12-25.

The idea of bringing young enterprise into a community is always a good one to my mind and can only be beneficial. It not only allows budding entrepreneurs to gain experience, but also feeds more money into the town as a whole.  Over all helping to regenerate our somewhat tired city.

After a short walk from the bus station we found ourselves (A couple of like-minded friends and I) in Albion Square, complete with around fifteen marquees stretching through the centre. It definitely seemed interesting, but in all honesty was slightly disappointing in view of its scale.

I had seen the market both advertised in the local paper and on billboards for a while and I suppose I expected more businesses’ to take advantage. After all the sunny, dry weather was on the stallholder’s side.

However perhaps this initial judgement was a little harsh, as a cheery stallholder soon told me that this was in fact the first teenage market in our city, and of course we were ‘testing the water’ so to speak. I was intrigued to hear that events like this have been taking place up and down the country as a way of bringing opportunity to youth. All done in a modern, laid back way that a market in the 21^st century boasts.

Stalls ranged from fresh homemade cakes (which I of course had to sample) to vintage and retro clothes and a wide selection of jewellery. One stand sold quirky crocheted crop tops and accessories, whilst another allowed an array of feathers to be put semi-permanently into hair. Alongside stallholders performances from singers could also be heard and added to the ambience nicely.

Overall, my first experience of a teenage market was a pleasant one. My only wish would be for more people my age to take up this opportunity if (and hopefully when) it next arises, but as yet I am unaware when an event like this is due to happen again, locally any time soon… I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!

For more information about teenage markets:

http://theteenagemarket.co.uk/markets/