– “FLEA MARKET PLAYS TO SOUTH MOLTON’S STRENGTHS”

South Molton’s Town Team continues to work to promote and enhance the town and for 2014, the already busy events calendar will benefit from the addition of a Flea and Makers Market to be held in the Pannier Market, South Molton from 10.00 to 3.00 (8.00 – 4.00 for traders) on Sunday 11 May.  The event aims to build on South Molton’s growing reputation as a centre for all things vintage – be it clothing, furniture or kitchenalia. Its twice weekly Pannier Market already has a great range of stalls offering gorgeous antiques, up-cycled items and curios, while the town is a mecca for those wishing to style a house with beautiful and unique items.

May’s Flea Market will have 50 trade stalls at £20 per stall, including the Market’s ever-popular coffee shop, a crepe van, Mabel’s Ice creams, the cinema bus, and for the children a Punch and Judy Show, face painting and craft activities.

Rosemary Hallett, a member of the Town Team, is organising the event.  She has a pop up vintage cafe business and successfully runs these types of event in North Devon.  Rosemary said:

“We aim to make the Flea Market a destination for vintage fans, but also a great day out for those seeking a quirky, bustling atmosphere, with activities for families and a selection of great local food and drink.

South Molton is a wonderful town, which has probably weathered the past few years better than most. Now there is a real buzz.  We have no empty shops, a town Square which is beautiful architecturally and populated with interesting shops and businesses. I feel that the charming ‘lost in the past’ feel we have here really lends itself to the whole vintage, retro, repurposing thing, which is so popular both in interior design and fashion at the moment.”

South Molton’s Town Team are a group of local people who came together in 2012  to bid for a share of the Portas Pilot funding, Government monies earmarked to help revitalise High Streets across the country. Town Team members are Chairman Dave Goodman and Andrew Coates, David Walker, Paul Henderson, Georgie Cotton, Barbara Miers, Paul Ellis and Susi Atkinson, retailers Calum Robb and Rosemary Henderson, and Sharon Webber, Tourist Information Centre. 

Dave Goodman says:

“We were fortunate to receive £10,000 from the Mary Portas initiative, and as we are a team of volunteers, every penny will be used to revitalise South Molton. To date we have financed hanging baskets for the town centre and provided small grants for other businesses to improve their exteriors.  We are now adding the Flea Market to the town’s calendar as we believe that this builds on South Molton’s strengths and we are fortunate to have Rosemary’s experience and contacts within the vintage community to initiate it.  Whist we are providing pump-priming monies for 2014, our aim is to establish this as a regular, self-funding event in the future.  The Pannier Market, the jewel in South Molton’s crown, lends itself admirably to such different entertainments as agricultural shows, markets or even concerts, so using it to its full potential is certainly one of the Town Team’s aims.”