National Creative Market Day is about celebrating market heritage, bringing the creative community together and raising the awareness of how brilliant Britain’s markets really are. Will you be joining us? If so, get the assets.
What celebrating Market Heritage means
Have you ever thought about why we refer to so many areas of the UK as ‘market towns’?
Since the Middle Ages (and likely long before), villages have developed around trade, with markets being the centre of local commerce. Markets are at the inception of shopping as an activity – pre supermarkets, pre malls, pre High Street, certainly pre internet.
Our public marketplaces have always been spaces where communities can come together, as much as they’ve been places to buy wares. They are intrinsic to Britain, and have long been part of our culture. Market Towns still exist all over the UK – markets are the very reason we’ve built our houses in certain places for years. They are hubs of industry and trade, places we can encourage economic growth with our very own businesses, places to meet others and grow our own businesses. As a result, our ancestors built dwellings all around markets. And markets aren’t just in our township etymology, they’re in our blood.
Markets have always been diverse places, from port towns to city hubs, attracting people of all ethnicities, religions and genders, on both sides of the selling table. Local markets reflect local communities, and offer a place to unite them. Marketplaces therefore reflect what it means to be British; to support one another and celebrate each other’s success, no matter where you come from. They are outlets for creativity, something that is essential to the human experience.
In the digital age we’ve had to reimagine markets, but Pedddle brings cohesion, blending the online and offline worlds together. Online markets exist, but not to the detriment of in-person ones – they simply cannot be replaced. We strive to celebrate and honour our rich British history but we also have mastery of digital marketing, using our knowledge to promote in-person markets and ensure they are both discovered and continue to thrive.
Artisan markets will forever offer a physical shopping experience unlike anything else; they’re much more than just a shopping opportunity. They are an atmosphere, a place to meet people, a place to be inspired. Unique gifts, homewares, clothing and jewellery abound. Crafts and craftspeople you’ve never heard of or even thought of before.
Markets are changing even now, with workshops becoming ever-more popular. Artisan skills can also be found at many markets, that just cannot be found anywhere else. Markets offer experiences and knowledge that is unique to that marketplace, and that local area, which makes them even more special.
We hope our annual awareness day, National Creative Market Day, is long continued as a way of celebrating market heritage, and the bright future of creatives in this country, for many years to come.
In fact, we have plenty of plans for ways to support the future generation of entrepreneurs and creatives in this country too… more on that to come soon!
The history of markets in Britain
Check out our blog on the history of markets in London – click here. If you’d like to know more about market history throughout Britain, let us know and we’ll create more blogs!
