howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
went past last saturday and it seemed that a few new stalls were operating.
certainly an extra clothing stall and one selling leather purses, wallets and credit card holders.
i am sure the latter has a stall in folkestone market too.
Any handbags or shoes??????
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
I would love the Market to be a really big success, but when there's not even enough to start up Cannon Street, it can't be classed as one yet.
The Hog-roast has given up (apparantly), a home-made fudge-stall started, but the sweet-stall isn't doing very well.
Roger
Guest 652- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 595
The butcher has also gven up, although I think he did pretty well, so why can't we keep people interested
A bit of razzamatazz might help.................
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i would still prefer it to surround the fountain rather than being straggly.
surprised about the butcher, he always seemed to have a queue.
Guest 684- Registered: 26 Feb 2009
- Posts: 635
The fact that the 'market' doesn't look like a market in any sense doesn't help. There's no definable connection between the stalls, just an unrelated straggle of traders' stalls which look like they've just rocked up in the Market Square by accident.
The market needs coherence and uniformity; it should indeed encircle the fountain (sorry, chipboard art installation) in concentric circles radiating out into the square, and the stalls should all be linked, or at least adjacent, under coloured awnings, bunting etc. And there should be whacking great signs hanging from buildings around the square trumpeting the legend "Dover Market", or such-like - and even on the much-loved Telly By The Ellie.
The lack of pizazz at the moment, I fear, portentously suggests that the 'market' could indeed wind up as the latest in a lengthy stream of well-meaning, but half-arsed and half-baked town centre initiatives.
Right - a place or service has to have a "tag", a selling point, and it has to be attractive. The market COULD have both!
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
Yes, Andrew, it certainly needs some pizazz and a special identity to reflect Dover's traditions/history. Uniform awnings and stalls to make it attractive.
Interesting and attractive things to sell, to include food items of quality, and some special items for the tourists too.
Perhaps 'Mary Queen of Shops' needs to come down to Dover to do a 'Queen of Markets'. Or one of the big entrapreneurs to give his views.
Kath
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Lincolnshire Born and Bred
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
A bit of Razzamattaz would help like this example at the famous Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen:
Kath
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Lincolnshire Born and Bred
Don't think we need the Queen of Shops here as Andrew has already givn a huge clue as to how things could be improved.
As for me, Mr Doubting Thomas himself, I am just sitting here waiting to say, "I told you so" when the market team give up and go elsewhere. The roast man has already done so, how long before others follow.
I'm a firm believer in the saying, "If a thing is worth doing, do it well". It seems to me, despite the best of intentions, the market has fallen well short of that maxim, sadly.
There is still time to scoop this back though - a bit of jazz and imagination might help!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i don;t see it as falling short when new stalls appear and there is more footfall.
it is clearly not perfect but certainly not a failure if stallholders continue to return.
Not failing Howard, but potentially vulnerable if we don't perk it up a bit, perhaps.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
the butcher/hog roast where one of the same,the butchers wagon was the first to go seeing he had to chuck £300 of meat away.he kept the hog roast there for a couple of extra weeks,but it looks like no one was intrested.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
Just open up the old Market place down there again,it would do well.all year round and inside aswell ready for the bad weather.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i assume you are talking about the derelict indoor market vic.
logically it should work better than an outdoor one for the reason that you say, however the indoor market in pencester is hardly a beacon of hope.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
tat howard full of tat.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
I said on here some time ago what should have been done, but I'm not in charge of it any more.
For a start it was to have been stalls in and all around the market Square, up Cannon Street and if enough, then Biggin Street too.
It was originally intended that there would be between 30 and 40 stalls - make Dover Town worth visiting and having a shop and a stall in.
There was to have been uniform colours for the stall covers of green and white stripes.
Money was available to promote the Market to market stall-holders in the two publications that support them, also enough to promote the market in KOS Saturday and Sunday papers.
I'm also a firm believer Sid in thinking that if a job is worth doing, it's worth doing well and that has always been my philosophy - in everything I have done; recently, the Dover Loyalty Scheme, Discover Dover leaflet and Dover Business Suppport.
None of the above is being done.
It certainly needs pizzazz.
The potential for Dover is enormous, the reality is really disappointing.
Roger
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
Roger
Throw in a bit of live music and combine the two and bingo!!You have something worth visiting the town centre for...
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
