#communityspirits

There’s something magical about a small-town Fourth of July celebration. It’s that perfect mix of family, fun, and summer warmth that you just can’t find anywhere else.

#CommunitySpirits is a series of interviews with businesses that have been helping local people during this difficult time.

In today’s interview, I speak to Gail, Nick and Jen from Market Operations, about their work at Altrincham Market.

Let’s talk about the history of the market.

G: One of the UK’s original market towns, Altrincham’s charter goes way back to 1290 when Edward I allowed the town to hold a weekly market. Back then though, a trip to Alty Market wasn’t about shopping, or eating; the market held a Court Leet to sort out disputes.

But while the market may have started life as the bustling hub of the town, later, after the ‘stack ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap’ boom of the 1980s, came decline. Back in 2010, Altrincham had one of the highest proportions of empty shops in the country. One in three were unoccupied, with online shopping and out of town retail parks held to blame. 

Today, though, things are very different. The rate of shop vacancies has fallen by three-quarters and Alty’s once empty streets are now busy. Last November, Altrincham won ‘Great British High Street of The Year’, while this year The Sunday Times cited it ‘The Best Place To Live in the UK’. 

And most would agree that the beating heart of this renaissance is Altrincham Market, situated on the town’s Greenwood Street. 

How has the market changed since then?

G: Run by Nick Johnson and Jen Thompson of Market Operations, the same company behind Mackie Mayor in the Northern Quarter, and Macclesfield’s Picturedrome, the idea behind its resurgence was creating a place based on how people want to interact. Of course, the changes didn’t happen overnight. 

J: When Nick and I took over the running of the market, we were working with some traders who had been at the market for donkey’s years. Everyone was afraid of change, but a few were willing to give us a chance because they agreed the market was in decline. They are not only happily still with us, but their businesses are now flourishing.

The last five years have seen our small team curate a strong base of high quality and talented “core” traders. They sit alongside the weekly changing roster of brilliant, creative day traders that we handpick from dozens of weekly applications to make sure the quality remains high for the benefit of our loyal customers.

G: While online sales are increasing, the human element is still a big part of what the customer wants and expects when shopping in-store. Nothing beats interacting with staff who genuinely care and want to help. And Altrincham market’s stallholders know their products inside out – in many cases literally, as they’ve made them themselves. Because of this, they can offer product insights or stories that help to bring the item alive.

So how has lockdown affected Altrincham Market? 

N: Following lockdown, we had to act quickly and decided that as we were such an important part of the community we had to try and keep running. Traders in non-essential goods have all been ‘mothballed' and the focus now is on fresh produce: hand reared meats, British cheeses, butter and bread. 

We have furloughed over 300 staff across our three food operations but some of them are now volunteering to ‘marshal' the market and help put together boxes of fresh produce. We have signage and operate an intelligent queuing system to restrict numbers. We have reduced queueing times right down through a pre-ordering system. 

We’ve had a lot of compliments about how safe we’re making people feel and we’re also lucky that the weather is on our side as we work under a covered outdoor space which somehow feels better in these times! We think it’s vital to keep the community spirit alive, albeit with some very different ground rules at the moment.

What impact do you think it’s having?

N: The response has been brilliant. Our customers are a loyal bunch and continue to come to the market on the three days a week it’s currently open. They have also been ordering home deliveries from our traders which is absolutely fantastic. After all, we couldn’t do any of this without them. Of course, it’s not ideal but I think everyone would agree that it’s a system that’s working well in a challenging environment.

#CommunitySpirits is a series of interviews with businesses that have been helping local people during this difficult time. 

On St James St in Clerkenwell, sits independent cafe The Greyhound on the Green. I speak to Becks, one of the owners, about what she and fellow owner Ross have been doing to support residents.

Tell me about your business’ history.

I contacted the council about renting a little spot, went for an interview and to present my vision and we went from there, opening in April 2019. 

Our cafe is tiny, we only have outside seating. But from the beginning my focus was about using fresh, local food at accessible prices. We only work with like minded businesses who share our ethics when it comes to helping others and being kind to the environment. Our coffee comes from Redemption Roasters, we get our milk the old school way (in glass bottles from the milkman) and bread from a local indie bakery. We make everything from scratch, including cakes and brownies! We have a wonderful loyal customer base who have helped build a magical community around our little hut.

How was your business affected by the CV-19 outbreak? 

We felt pretty early on that it was the responsible thing to temporarily close, and we're glad we did. We work in such a small space that we just couldn’t guarantee our own or our customers’ safety. But it was the hardest decision I've ever made.

What are you doing to help your community during this time? 

Sadly we can't offer anything to our cafe community, which breaks my heart as these people have helped us grow from the very beginning.

We work in Clerkenwell but we live in Highgate. We weren’t comfortable commuting to work on public transport as we don't drive; we need to keep these spaces as safe as possible for our wondrous key workers. We decided to try and support our suppliers, help keep ourselves afloat (we are the unlucky 5% who are not entitled to anything from the government) and help those in isolation in our wonderful local community.

So we've set up a zero contact delivery service selling things like Oatly, eggs, flour, coffee. pasta, cleaning products and a super essential - chocolate! We take payment online, I pack the order and Ross cycles it, he calls the customer from the pavement and gives them a wave so that they can safely collect their order from the doorstep. 

We've remained true to our values, especially in what we are selling. For example, our antibac spray is actually a concentrated capsule with zero plastic that you shake up in a bottle of water. Now is a scary time but it doesn't mean we have to forget about the environmental impact of our actions. 

Why did you decide to set up this service?

We had to do something. Overnight, we went from having a small business (which wasn't exactly profitable but we could pay our suppliers and pay our bills) to having nothing. It was really frightening and we couldn’t have anticipated it. That aside, it's been a godsend to keep busy and feel helpful. We have customers who are carers or single parents, who can't queue outside Sainsburys. It feels productive to provide a service even if it isn't our usual one. Also, It's been amazing getting to know so many people who live nearby.

How can people engage with what you are doing now and in the future?

They can follow us on Instagram, tell everybody they know, or just drop us an email! In the future, they can choose us. Never has your spending power been more valuable to small businesses. Without the help of the community around us, who choose to buy their Oatly from Greyhound on the Green, rather than online or in supermarkets, we would go under. Every single penny counts right now and it's a beautiful thing to see those who can, choosing to support independents. 

 Thank you to Becks and Ross who have been so kind and creative with their time and efforts. In adversity, they have seen a way to maintain their business but also help a new group of people around them. Do make sure to order from Greyhound on the Green should you be local and make sure to visit them when this is over. 

#CommunitySpirits is a series of interviews with businesses that have been helping local people during this difficult time. 

FOOSKA has been feeding the people of Crouch End and Stroud Green delicious vegan Bangladeshi food since May 2019. Its owner, Halima Khatoon, prides her business on its zero waste delivery service (using stainless steel tiffin tins) and authenticity. However, in the last few weeks, her business has been going far beyond environmentalism to help the local community. 

How was your business affected by the CV-19 outbreak? 

My orders have dropped almost by 50%. People don’t want to spend money on luxuries like a weekly takeaway during difficult times like these. I also had to cancel all dates for upcoming supper clubs and afternoon Bangladeshi teas. 

What are you doing to help your community during this time?

Sadly, I saw a post on Facebook from a nurse about food shortages at our local hospital. I thought: this is not right. They cannot work 12hr shifts on empty stomachs.

At first, I was hoping to cook for North Middlesex Hospital for one day - about 20 portions. Then my sister decided to help financially. Now,  I can cook for the entire week, providing 40 portions of hot meals per day for NHS staff, as well as some snacks. 

Then some of my customers got involved. I had to continue to provide the food, seeing as they appreciated and needed it so much. We’re in our 3rd week of doing this now so I’ve decided to donate 50% of all sales from the business towards cooking for the NHS.

What impact do you think it’s having on the local community?

The outbreak has brought out the best in people. I’ve really noticed a growing sense of a community feel.

How can people engage with what you are doing? 

Customers who are placing orders from me are contributing as I’m donating 50% of all sales. Some also have sent me donations. But I’d say, just place an order, enjoy the good food knowing you are also helping to feed our NHS.

 It’s because of brilliant businesses like Halima’s that our NHS is continuing to fight CV-19. She is keeping them fed and nourished and allows her customers to also contribute whilst enjoying great food. Thank you Halima and the staff at FOOSKA for your hard work - keep it up!

#CommunitySpirits is a series of interviews with businesses that have been helping local people during this difficult time. 

Today’s post is about Worgans Farm Shop and Butchery based in Bishopsbourne, Kent. The business started in 2012 after owner Carl, a butcher from the age of 12, moved down from Wigan and took over the butchery in the local food hall. In 2019, they moved onto Frog Lane.

Tell me about your business:

We try to base our business on real old fashioned values. When I was little, I grew up on a small estate where everyone knew each other. There was a row of shops: butchers, bakers, green grocers, a paper shop and a few others. From the age of 8 I could walk to the green grocer and he would ask “Who are you here for?”,  I might reply “My nan.” then he would tell me to sit down while he prepared what she had ordered. 

When I started running my own shop, I tried to recreate a similar type of feeling by treating customers as friends rather than just people who are spending money. 

How was your business affected by the CV-19 outbreak?

We have a catering part to our business - supplying restaurants and pubs. We were massively affected by this pandemic as restaurants and pubs have been shut.

What are you doing to help your community during this time?

All year round we have customers that travel to shop with us; we are in the very quiet countryside. I have never had a customer try to charge me a travel fee for doing so. 

It’s for this reason I thought it only fair that we should return the favour in their time of need and put a free delivery service in place. It seemed the natural and right thing to do. 

What impact do you think it’s having on the local community?

I’m not that self obsessed to feel that we have had a massive impact on the community! But if we can take the stresses of getting supplies away from our customers, then I feel we have contributed. 

How can people engage with what you are doing?

When this all began, I did try to reach out to other businesses to form a mini cooperative so that we could help people more efficiently but we sadly had no takers. So ideally, more engagement with this would be brilliant. 

How can readers and the local community help your business in the coming months and weeks?

We aren’t particularly looking for help but we would appreciate a little understanding when we get very busy. My small team really is working beyond their best; they deserve all the accolades.

  It’s because of businesses like Worgans Farm Shop and Butchery that people around the UK, especially those in remote areas, are continuing to be fed and kept healthy. What a wonderful service his and staff are providing - for free! Thanks Carl & team.