Following its success at Victoria Park throughout the summer, Arbroath Market has opened up a shop in the local shopping centre to support local food and drink producers.
Taking on a temporary residence in the town’s Abbeygate Shopping Centre for four days a week, Arbroath Market has landed a unit until the end of March 2022 that will help showcase the numerous artisan traders, farmers and makers that appear at their monthly market.
The announcement came after the market, which has been running on Arbroath’s High Street on the last Sunday of every month since 2017, held its first market back after lockdown yesterday, October 31.
As well as customers being able to purchase wares from the outdoor market, they also had the chance to make the most of the new indoor space, too.
Opening up
Market organiser Morag Lindsay says the confirmation of the new shop unit was only finalised on Thursday, three days before opening, with the keys handed over the following day.
The volunteer-run market will pay a weekly fee for the space in the shopping centre which will result in a four-figure sum being paid by the end of the trial.
She says: “We’re so happy with the unit and have been making all sorts of plans to brand it since we received the keys on Friday, two days before opening.
“We were already in touch with the Abbeygate before the pandemic about possibly having something in the shopping centre in early 2020 but then the lockdown happened.
“They then got back in touch in May, though we didn’t manage to meet about it as it was just before our market. We finally caught up with them in a meeting in the shop unit in August, just days before our August market.
“It’s a trial run at the moment to see how we go. We’re really hoping the shop unit will be a success and that everyone who supports the market in the high street will get behind it. Then, I’m sure, it could become more permanent.”
Throughout November
The shop unit will be open Thursday to Sunday throughout November and every day the shopping centre is open in December.
A host of food, drink and craft producers will be showcasing their creations.
“Everyone seems to love the produce that we bring, whether it’s farm produce or things that are made with local ingredients and everyone seems to be enjoying all of that,” Morag adds.
“The farmers’ market will still happen on the high street on the usual day, the last Sunday of the month except in December when it will be on Sunday December 19.
“We’re hoping to host five producers and makers in the shop unit as it’s quite a big space. We’ll vary the stalls depending on who is available and we can always add in extra days.”
First day back
Over the summer months, Arbroath Market had been holding its monthly markets to sell-out crowds at the town’s Victoria Park. Yesterday, October 31, was the first day back at its usual location on the high street since the first lockdown of March 2020 due to the pandemic.
Despite the weather, with reports of flooding in some areas of Scotland, Morag is pleased with how the event went and hopes this success continues through the shop unit.
She continues: “The opening of it was a real success and on such a terrible day of weather the market shoppers still turned out.
“We held some great markets at Victoria Park over the summer and now the unit has opened up on a trial. It feels like we’re on a journey and enjoying it, wondering where it will take us next.
“My guess is that we had around 2,500 people attend the market yesterday, both inside and outside, in the space of four hours.”
The shop unit is open Thursday to Sunday throughout November from 10am to 5pm.