If you love bargain hunting and surrounding yourself with friendly faces then visiting a market is always a good idea. But for those who have exhausted all that the markets in Greater Manchester have to offer, it's recommended to travel a little further to see what's in store elsewhere.
Hundreds of people flock to Liverpool's Greatie Market every Saturday in search of a great bargain. Named The Great Homer Street market but known by locals as the Greatie, the market has been a staple of Liverpool for more than 180 years and is said to be renowned in the UK.
Just an hours drive or train ride away from Manchester, there are hundreds of market stalls selling everything from fresh fruit and veg and branded clothings, to flowers, hampers and unique gifts all at discounted prices. But it is the 'magic' of the market and its unique atmosphere that is said to keep it alive.
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A reporter from Liverpool Echo recently spent a Saturday morning at Greatie Market in a bid to understand the magic behind it, and found that it is the warm, friendly faces of its stallholders that continue to attract new and regular customers each week.
The market in Everton has had many of its stallholders based there for more than two decades. They have kept the market going through thick and thin, particularly after facing restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic and being forced to remain closed for a number of months, reports The Echo.
With narrow aisles between several large stalls, there’s not much space to maneuver when the crowd is busy on a Saturday morning, but that doesn't stop shoppers stopping to have a mooch around for different items.
While the stock may be eclectic and cover just about everything you could ever need, each stall has one thing in common - a smiling face selling their stock and taking the time to stop for a chat.
Stallholder Pat Park is known around Greatie as one half of Alec and Pat, the household products stall. Pat and her husband Alec sell everything from bedding and towels to cushions, rugs and “whatever we can get that we can sell at a reasonable price”, according to Pat.
Pat has been selling at Greatie for around seven years, having previously been at the old site too. According to Pat, she usually arrived at Greatie for 6am - though Alec will have been there from around 4.15am to set up.
She told the Echo reporter: “He will have stocked most of the stuff and I helped do the rest. You just get used to it. We have one or two people who turn up around 6.40am - not a lot though. The first regulars arrive from 7am/7.30am - it’s two friends first, you just know the pattern, the same ones at the same time every week.
“For some people it's a social event - they stay all day after getting the first bargains, go inside for their breakfast and then go back out later on to carry on shopping.”
Pat said that working at Greatie “doesn’t feel like a job” because it's so fun and it's got an “absolute community feel”.
She added: “The pandemic destroyed communities everywhere and we were really worried about Greatie bouncing back after lockdown. But we kept it going with a virtual market that my daughter started doing - so now every week I go around with a video to show people what we’ve got and show the other stalls around us as well.
“It’s [Greatie] a friendly feel, it feels like they’re friends rather than customers. Besides anything else you’re gonna get a bargain, no matter what you want. Everything is so cheap. The traders are so good, most are local, a lot are local families.
“I always say we’ve got nothing exclusive that other people haven’t got - so why us? I think it's because we make time for people. It’s an absolutely great market and very sociable.” In a word, Pat described Greatie as “vibrant”.
Another seller, Angela Carr, has been selling baby clothes at Greatie for the past 10 years. Angela usually sets up on a Friday as her stall is indoors, making it easier for herself on a Saturday, when she can refresh stock throughout the day.
While Angela arrives at Greatie from 6am, shoppers are usually browsing around by about 7am. She said: “It can be a bit manic, it gets so busy but I suppose it's because we’re the only market around on a Saturday.
“We’ve got a couple of regulars, there’s people who come from all over the city. They request products if we haven’t got their sizes in that day, especially shoes but they come back the next week for them.
“We’re [the sellers] all friends here, it’s like family really. We all look out for each other, especially when there’s any mischief. It’s like a community, everyone meets for a coffee or looks after your stall while you go to the toilet. It's vibrant, it’s the greatest market around.” In a word, Angela described Greatie as “fabulous”.
Another seller, who didn’t want to be named or pictured, said they’d been selling products at Greatie for around 15 years, both inside and outside. They usually set up around 7am and stay until 2.30pm.
They said: “The customers are brilliant, they bring proper scouse humour. It's just like a community. The old site had an older demographic, but we see a lot of younger people now. Things were different when the site moved to where it is now but it’s slowly starting to pick up.
“The [stallholders] outside have proper banter but inside there’s a lot of similar stalls so there’s that. But when you’re close, look after each other.” In a word, they described Greatie as “diverse”.
Greatie Market takes place on Great Homer Street every Saturday. You can find out more here .
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