Crowdfunding campaign launched to bring back Well Street market

Popular: shoppers at last year’s Well Street Christmas market. Photograph: WESTRA

Well Street is not a patch on what it used to be. The pavements no longer overflow with shoppers out to bag bargains at the market.

The fruit and vegetable offering is no rival to that at Ridley Road.

During the day it is quiet and all but deserted. It is tired round the edges. Or so have some residents have complained.

But hopefully not for much longer.

A crowdfunding campaign to start a new market has been launched by Well Street Traders & Residents Association (WESTRA).

“It would be such an amazing social and economic boost to this area of Hackney, which we think it really needs,” says Kay Richardson, WESTRA’s volunteer market development manager.

“We hope an innovative market will reinvigorate the community, provide ways of healthy eating, routes into work, opportunities for young entrepreneurs and a chance to reach out to tenants.”

Well Street was in fact for decades a thriving market, stretching from the top of the street at Morning Lane down to the junction with Valentine Road.

“This high street used to have one of the loveliest old London markets,” says Richardson. “It is very sad that it died.”

The street is full of stories about its past life.

A young trader, Jack Cohen, started selling from a barrow in Well Street Market in 1919. He went on to set up supermarket chain Tesco, which now has a Metro store on the street where it began.

But the market itself all but died out in the early 1990s. Save for a few Christmas markets, and the fruit and vegetable stall of Simon Maker, who continues to sell on the street.

‘Innovative’ market

Last year WESTRA ran a consultation to find out what residents wanted. The answer was a produce-driven market.

“Lots of families said they struggled to find decent grocery shop around Well Street,” says Richardson.

“They complained about spending weekends traipsing around to get everything they need. We have a clear brief about what is lacking and how much time is wasted.”

“Lots of people said they felt alienated at Broadway Market – it seems to be more of a destination for people from outside the area. Families didn’t feel welcome.”

The team hope the market will serve not only families but all parts of the community – and boost the economy in an area with unemployment that is higher than the borough average.

“Lots of creative types are good at selling stuff online but might struggle with a shop. A market stall is good testing ground to see if a shop would work.”

Stalls at the Well Street Christmas market Photograph: WESTRA

All these plans come at a cost, of course. The team needs to raise £82,062.

It has therefore joined the London Mayor’s Civic Crowdfunding Programme which is aimed at creating more places and projects that boost quality of life and local economy.

Campaigners put for their project proposals earlier this year and at the end of this month Sadiq Khan will pledge up to £20,000 towards the crowdfunding targets of the best projects.

Cllr Ian Rathbone, WESTRA’s secretary, says fundraising has gone well so far: “We had to raise the first 10 per cent by 6 June and we’ve hit that target.

“Well Street needs a community hub. It is an area of high unemployment. The market would bring more jobs, give people the chance to start up businesses in a low key way,” he said.

The plan is to launch as a monthly Saturday market in September.

Campaigners hope to then take it fortnightly in the run-up to Christmas and possibly weekly after that.

However none of this will happen if it fails to reach its target of £82,062 by 10 August.

“It’s all or nothing,” says Richardson. “If we don’t hit the target, we don’t get a penny, not even from the London Mayor!”

On a roll: Shoppers at last year’s Well Street Christmas market. Photograph: WESTRA

Update, 8:50pm Monday 13 June 2016:

Commenting on the plans for Well Street, Cllr Feryal Demirci, the council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods and sustainability said: “We are very pleased about the relaunch of our much loved Well Street Market on a phased basis.

“We are working closely with WESTRA to bring Well Street Market back to its former glory, but we have a duty to consider the operational costs associated with running a market, in particular the collection and disposal of waste and keeping the market clean.

“The market has been closed for several years, so successful trading once-a-month over the next year is vital to rebuilding a strong and loyal customer base for traders to flourish and in gathering evidence on what works before we consider, with WESTRA, our options going forward.

“This process would be the same for relaunching any of our markets.

“Whilst we build up this important information, temporary traders are welcome to trade, where there is space, in our other markets.”

Visit the Spacehive fundraising page for more information.