It's only just turned 9am and Tracey's Cafe is looking busy. There's more hustle and bustle here than anywhere else in Nottingham's dwindling Victoria Market where a handful of stalls and a couple of other cafes remain. "This is quiet at the moment," said owner Tracey Johnson, who runs the cafe with her sons Jack and Joe. "It will get busier."
Like the rest of the traders Tracey's in limbo, wondering what the future holds for the cafe she's put her heart and soul into over the last ten years, as the six-week consultation over the market draws to a close. Nottingham City Council is reviewing the operation of the market in Victoria Centre, as it looks to save estimated running costs amounting to £39m over the remaining 50 years of the current agreement.
Tracey, who serves breakfasts, cottage pie, lasagne, cheesecake and apple pie - all homemade - said they're in limbo. "They've not actually said it's closing as yet. They said we'll find out after June 5. They have said they would help us move on or basically pay us off. Given a choice I'd like to stay here. If not, ideally I would like somewhere else but it's got to be local to where we are now for the customers but then your rent's going to be higher."
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Tracey's Cafe opens six days a week and some of the customers visit every day. It isn't the kind of place where you'll find food bloggers and Gen Z posting TikTok videos and images of foodporn on Instagram. Here, in the far corner of the market, where customers are already queuing at the counter, it's not just a place to eat and drink.
There's a proper sense of community and belonging at the cheap and cheerful cash-only cafey, even though it's surrounded by empty, shuttered stands. Tracey said: "We get families coming in and people with mental health issues, but they make friends.
"I like the customers. They come every day, they're lovely. For a lot of them, they'd be lost without it. A 94-year-old fella comes in the same time every day. There's a group of girls who come with their mother, and their grandmother - they all meet up.
"I wish you could spend a day here to meet some of the people later who live on their own. It gets them up, out the house, they get to have conservation, meet people. It makes you think where will they go? What will drag them out? It's awful."
Tracey, who has worked at the market's cafes for 40 years, added: "I know their names, phone numbers, they're more like friends," before breaking off to go behind the counter and dab her eyes when thinking the unthinkable becomes too much.
One of the biggest attractions of the cafe is the price. Customers can buy a pot of a tea for £1, a mini breakfast with toast and a drink for £3.75 or a homemade pie with chips, peas and gravy for £4.50.
An early morning cup of tea is part of the daily routine of Ken Morley, 67, of Carlton. He remembers how the market used to be when he helped a friend out on a flower stall. He said: "It's a shame how the market has gone. The way the council has treated these people is disgusting. It's just as if they're trying to freeze them out. It's disgraceful."
The cheap prices and friendly faces draw him to the cafe. "You get to know everyone., I've known Tracey for a long time, her family's nice, they're like mates. I've been coming years. I come here nearly every day for a cup of tea."
Most tables are taken - there's a mix of men on their own, young women either on their own or in groups of two or three, grandparents, and workmen in high vis jackets. "This is nothing," said Ken. Before Covid every time you'd come for a cup of tea and there was a queue. You couldn't get a seat sometimes.
"It's a nice atmosphere. A lot of people know each other here and you get people coming here every day from the flats. It's just a shame, it's a nice little community, people you can have a laugh and a joke with. There's not many places like this left now. You go in some places and you can spent £4 on a cup of coffee, easy."
Friends Teri Davis, of The Meadows, and Julia Joyce, of Wollaton, were chatting to a pensioner on his own. Teri said: "I come here daily. I get to meet friends and have a chat and you get a lot of people coming in who don't have a lot to do and no one to talk to - it passes the time of day, it makes their day. For some people it's the only meal they have all day and they get to speak to people.
"For the last 30 years the council has destroyed the market system. It makes me feel very sad. It's heart-breaking. Nottingham used to be the best.
"There's no proper cafes in Nottingham any more," added Teri, who has been a regular at the cafe for more years than she can remember and recalls it when it was called the Copper Kettle and the Madhouse before Tracey took over. "She's a fantastic cook, always good, and it's reasonably priced. It's a really good cafe, you can't beat a family-run business."
Julia said: "It's just nice. A lot of elderly people come in for their lunch. There used to be a big table of us but some passed away during the pandemic. They look after us here. We know all the staff. I have my cheese on toast. People won't know where to go if this shuts. A lot of people won't be able to afford Costa."
Asked where they'd go if the cafe did close, Teri said: "We've talked about it but not quite worked it out yet."
Boots worker Shaun Foley is a regular, stopping off for breakfast before starting his afternoon shift at the factory in Beeston. The 56-year-old, who lives in Top Valley said locals needed cafes like this especially with the cost of living rocketing. "It's friendly and cheap. You can get a mega breakfast and a cup of coffee for £4.50."
Nottinghamshire Live has contacted Nottingham City Council for comment.
