Traders vow to ride out the tough times

It was once a thriving hub where traders from across the Black Country pitched up to sell everything from pants to potatoes long before supermarkets moved in to offer one-stop shopping.

For more than 800 years shoppers have bustled among the rows of stalls to search for the freshest food and the best bargains.

The market has played a key part in the life of Dudley since medieval times and as the town grew and become more industrialised it remained a cornerstone of the community.

But the market has been hit hard by dwindling trade and the recession over the last three decades, casting a shadow over the stalls.

And while there was once a waiting list of traders vying for a prime spot, between 14 and 20 of the 74 stalls now lie empty on some days.

The first blows were struck when big-name stores began moving to the new Merry Hill shopping complex in the 1980s and 1990s, taking town centre trade with them.

The latest came with the recent news that House of Fraser was closing Beatties department store, robbing the town of one of its last remaining flagships.

About 50 stall holders still have pitches on the market on various days in the week.

And now council bosses are attempting to entice potential traders to take up the remaining stalls to help restore the market to its former glory.

Incentives including reduced rents for new and existing traders and a promotional campaign called Bag a Bargain have been among moves to boost the market.

Half price rents are offered to traders taking new stalls in the centre aisle for eight weeks.

Existing stallholders who recommend people to take up slots on the market also get discounted rent.

Council bosses say prices range from £10.90 to £20.50 per day to rent a stall, depending on the day of the week and position in the market.

Fresh fruit and veg, baby clothes, plants, housewares and ladies fashions are just some of the mix of goods on offer.

Generations of families worked the market in High Street including the Lampitt family who have run a fruit and veg stall on the outdoor market for around 150 years.

George and Ada Lampitt were familiar faces on the stall for decades and welcomed Prince Charles to their stall during his visit to the town in 1996.

Mr Lampitt, a great-great-grandfather, of Blackacre Road, Dudley, died last July aged 92 just weeks before the couple were due to celebrate their 73rd wedding anniversary.

Their nephew David, 49, of Grazebrook Road, Dudley, took over the stall a few years ago and gets up at 2am to set up.

But now the father-of-two says he can only afford to run the stall four days a week instead of the previous six.

He said: "When I first started working down here it was busy every single day of the week. But steadily it has got worse. It hasn't helped losing the shops that the town has.

"You get your regulars coming down but they are getting older and when they stop there is no-one younger coming to take their place."

He said he had considered moving to the new Plaza Mall inside the former Woolworths stall but wanted to stay where his regulars expected to find him.

St James's ward councillor Malcolm Davis said it would be terrible for Dudley if the market was lost.

"The market is now the only thing which is holding the town together," he said.

"I am concerned for the future of it. I would like to see the council slash the rents of stall because surely it is better if the market is full of traders with a variety of goods on offer.

"This would also bring many more people into the town which is what it needs."

Other market traders say the recession has hit them but remain positive that an upturn in fortunes is around the corner.

Former train steward Stephen Skidmore, aged 46, has run his pet food stall in Dudley for the past seven years.

"It's been a struggle, you can't deny that," Mr Skidmore said. "I left my job and set up a pet shop in Aldridge until the price of rent became too high so I came onto the market.

"Now I couldn't see myself going back to having a shop because of the cost.

"You have to hope that it will get better over the next 12 months."

Wendy Farmer, 54, from Coseley, left her secretarial job to have her two children. She says her sideline in selling baby clothes and other children's items at weekends grew to become her job.

"It was really, really, busy when I first started and it has dropped off," she said.

"There is a range of stores down here and everyone gets on pretty well with everyone else. One thing you don't get used to is the cold!"

Sam Johal, 46, of Dangerfield Road, Wednesbury, was a wholesaler before moving from the warehouse to the market stall to specialise in watch sales and repairs.

"There's some good banter down here between everyone and it's a nice place to work," he said.

"I have three sons and one of them is trying to set up a market stall now, luckily not in the same line as me. There are still people who want to do it and I don't see why they should not have a go."

Former engineer Chris Ashmore, 52, of Cripps Road, Walsall, has been selling rugs and mats on the market for two decades after being made redundant.

"The thing has been the big stores moving out of Dudley," he said.

"But we are going to ride it out and see what the next few months bring. I've not thought about leaving markets behind yet."

Dudley Council's market commercial operations manager Julie Jones says the authority is helping traders both new and old and wants to encourage more people to use the market.

"Things are tough for everyone," she said. "The market is a big part of the town centre and it is very important.

"People do come back because they know the stallholders and know the quality and the service they are getting. There is a more personal experiences than you would get in a shop and we have a diverse range of stalls

"Plus for new traders we are offering reduced rents and for traders who recommend others onto the market."