Thousands of shoppers filled Macclesfield town centre for the biggest Treacle Market yet.
Organisers booked more stalls this month and the market which usually fills Chestergate and Market Place spread along Mill Street and Castle Street too on Sunday.
More than 100 stallholders sold local food and drink, arts, crafts and antiques and many turned out in Halloween costume.
Competitors rolled up their sleeves for the first Treacle Conker Championship in St Michael’s churchyard and visitors also took part in apple bobbing.
Volunteers from the Disability Information Bureau manned a new Community Stall sponsored by Peaks and Plains. The stall is free for a different charity or community group each month.
Debbie Quinn, who co-organises the event with Jane Munro, said: "We’ve grown the market and had a huge number of people come this month, we couldn’t believe it.
"Some stallholders were wary about going on Mill Street and Castle Street, but they had nothing to be worried about and most people sold out. We’ve tried to create a community market with entertainment and stalls with good quality local produce so people are delighted with what they buy.
"Treacle has got its name out there and people are now travelling a long way to come into Macclesfield."
Treacle Market takes place on the last Sunday of each month.
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
The Treacle Market (30/10/11) shows what can be done to regenerate the interest in a Town.
The market appears to have grown to at least 3 times its original size. There were 1000s of people enjoying a special atmosphere that is unique.
This cannot be duplicated by Large Chain stores.
The market is sited in the Heart of Macclesfield and thus traders with premises close by can enjoy the influx of people to the town which this Market generates. That’s of course if they open their doors.
Events like this bring new life and interest to the town and they should be encouraged and we should be looking at why it is a success.
Some of the reasons:-
1 The goods on sale are generally from local sources
2 The variety of goods and produce is immense
3 The people running the Stalls are friendly and helpful
4 The quality of the goods was High
All of these things are generated within small units that value and respect Customers and want to provide good quality goods that are different from the run of the mill standards produced by Large Multinational Stores .
That’s what Macclesfield needs – Many more Small, Quality outlets that provide a unique feature to the town.
Replicating larger city’s or shopping centre’s is not the way.
Macclesfield has missed the Boat in that direction so lets look to be different and develop on what the Treacle Market has shown us can happen.
By the way there must be some way the success that the people who started the Treacle Markets can be recognised?
They have done an excellent job – KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
Ditto
Whilst huge multi-nationals and corporate suits scatch their heads and drag their feet over Macc's 'regeneration' (ie only on their terms with no reference to the community) things like the Treacle Market show them how it's done.Brilliant stuff and my friend from France,who know a thing or two about markets,said it was the best she has seen in Britain! But you know what I couldn't see for sale?Treacle!!