Sydenham Market is back on 2nd Saturday of the month

[Chris Best]

The SEE3 Sydenham Market returns on Saturday 9 April with a range of stalls including Indian and Indonesian hot food as well as a range of tasty cakes, savoury muffins,chutneys and speciality jams. We are looking forward to welcoming back our regular craft stalls of designer jewellery, soft furnishings, home made cards, leather goods, soap and skin care, candles and more.

We hope to use both Venner and Queensthorpe Squares and there are a few spaces still available - booking through Lewisham Markets at same price £25 if you bring your own stall and £35 for a SEE3 stall set up ready to trade.

We are delighted to welcome back Les Zoings, an exuberant brass marching band, to provide the free entertainment with their first set at 12 noon.

The indoor pop up market is back at Here For Good - http://www.thesydenhampopupshop.co.uk - with a range of Arts & Crafts products to complete the outdoor market.

Come on down and support your high street.

[Eagle]

I have noted that many people there seem to make use of Kente convenience but do not
buy their coffee there.

[Chris Best]

Reminder not to miss the market starting at 11am with free entertainment starting at 12 noon plus a range of arts and crafts at the pop up indoor market at Here For Good.

[Tim Lund]

As last May, Forest Hill & Sydenham CND have their Spring Fair at the same time, in the Venner Road Hall, at the back of the pocket park.



Well worth popping in for a coffee, cake, plant or second hand book.

[Eagle]

Tim
Not keen on CND , but good luck with your stall.

I hope you provide toilets and people do not abuse the Kente toilets . They should be for customers only.

[Giddysquid]

This Saturday 16th May, at the wonderful Sydenham Market on Venner Road, the Brockley Ukulele Group will be performing uked up versions of songs old and new. Fun for all the family. The music starts at 12pm.

[Tim Lund]

Not my stall, Eagle, and I'm not actually a member of CND - just have several friends who are, and I'm happy to help them. I once also delivered leaflets for a friend standing as a Conservative in LB Southwark.

Giddysquid - it's the 14th!

[Eagle]

You are forgiven Tim

My main point was they have Coffee Stall, or did last time , but the people seem to use Kente toilets when not making a purchase.

Very inconvenient.

[sophie]

I am going to sound so negative and I don't want to be. Our monthly market just feels like it is dying. I go along most months when it is on to try and buy something but it is just not grabbing me. It seems that fewer and fewer people attend it and the buzz has gone. I did enjoy the music yesterday but sadly that was it. Am I the only feeling this?

[Pally]

I am going to sound so negative and I don't want to be. Our monthly market just feels like it is dying. I go along most months when it is on to try and buy something but it is just not grabbing me. It seems that fewer and fewer people attend it and the buzz has gone. I did enjoy the music yesterday but sadly that was it. Am I the only feeling this?

I feel the same way sadly. I support it every month and buy things when I can but it doesn't seem to be growing from its early beginnings! There have been a number of discussion threads on various possible reasons for this in the past but I don't know how to do a link to those.

[dickp]

On several occasions in the past, I've moaned to the powers that be about the monthly Sydenham market. I used to visit numerous markets across the capital, and Sydenham market was of one the most rubbish and infrequent.

I also suggested a practical solution to several organisations, including SEE3 and our local councillors: hand over control of Sydenham market to one of several companies who organise successful - often weekly - street markets across South London. This suggestion seemed to fall on deaf ears.

I no longer live in Sydenham, so can no fight this fight. However, here are some people you might wish to lobby:

City & Country’s markets: organise weekly markets in Herne Hill, Lewisham, Streatham, and a host of other locations.
https://weareccfm.com/

London Farmers' Market organise weekly markets in Blackheath, Balham, Dulwich Village, Lavender Hill, Wimbledon, and numerous other locations across London. Details here: http://www.lfm.org.uk/markets-home/

The weekly Horniman Farmers' market is organised by these people: http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/ ... ers-market

These are the organisers of the monthly West Norwood Feast: http://westnorwoodfeast.com/faqs/

Good luck folks!

[monkeyarms]

At the moment, the market is of little interest to me for the simple fact - no disrespect to the stallholders - there's nothing I actually need there. I suspect I'm not alone in that. t's a fairly random mix of stuff and I would venture to suggest a bit too esoteric for most people. I bought some delicious macaroons once - shortly before Christmas. But Christmas only comes once a year; I can't say that macaroons are something I'll buy monthly.

[Pally]

On several occasions in the past, I've moaned to the powers that be about the monthly Sydenham market. I used to visit numerous markets across the capital, and Sydenham market was of one the most rubbish and infrequent.

I also suggested a practical solution to several organisations, including SEE3 and our local councillors: hand over control of Sydenham market to one of several companies who organise successful - often weekly - street markets across South London. This suggestion seemed to fall on deaf ears.

I no longer live in Sydenham, so can no fight this fight. However, here are some people you might wish to lobby:

City & Country’s markets: organise weekly markets in Herne Hill, Lewisham, Streatham, and a host of other locations.
https://weareccfm.com/

London Farmers' Market organise weekly markets in Blackheath, Balham, Dulwich Village, Lavender Hill, Wimbledon, and numerous other locations across London. Details here: http://www.lfm.org.uk/markets-home/

The weekly Horniman Farmers' market is organised by these people: http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/ ... ers-market

These are the organisers of the monthly West Norwood Feast: http://westnorwoodfeast.com/faqs/

Good luck folks!

I have to agree that success can be seen in the way the markets you have listed have grown and become well established and successful. Sydenham does not seem to be growing from where it first started

[broken_shaman]

The successful markets mentioned rely on food. People will come and buy food (it's nice if they can sit and eat it too). Unfortunately, the Horniman is a big competitor for food traders and it provides them with a pitch every week, coinciding with the monthly market in Sydenham.

I'd suggest making the market weekly and asking local food traders (in the high street) to participate to promote their businesses. It was, originally, supposed to drive trade on the high street as I recall, so why not get traders involved directly? Also, I always thought the market should provide a function in supporting new traders and perhaps liaising with shops and the owners of vacant premises, to get products in shops and traders in pop-up ventures.

Prices need to be lowered until it gets established (because otherwise we are frequently asking traders to just subsidise a little market on behalf of the local community, rather than running profitable businesses). With regards to price, I note that the Horniman Market charge according to takings on the day.

It needs a dedicated market manager to appoint pitches and be there throughout trading to iron out issues and promote it.

It should have a twitter account (and other linked social media accounts) tweeting out images from the market on the day and as promotion in between. There should be a dedicated hashtag for traders to use in their social media too.

Entertainment for children would probably be a welcome attraction too I think. Whether it's face painting or a bouncy castle or an entertainer...

Just ask the traders. Many of them will have experience of different markets and ideas for improvements. I've said it before, but if the traders are happy, they will come back and help promote the market and provide a platform to grow from. If they are not making money, they will move on elsewhere.

Overall, it probably needs more investment, a more regular presence and some management from someone with experience of market trading.

[leenewham]

The powers that be have had lots of advice from all quarters but don't listen. Dickp is spot on.

Sigh…the same issues keep coming up again and again…

[alywin]

Well, my main issue is that I usually can't afford to wait around until 11.30 for the market to open - I'm usually off elsewhere doing other things by then. Is it usual for markets to start that late? I'd have thought they must be missing out on a lot of people doing their weekly shop.

[angela53]

I feel it would be better sited on the approach to Sydenham station. It looks uncomfortable to me in Venner Square. The last time I went by a tramp was sitting on the seat in the middle of it.

The stalls in the "pop up" shop a few months ago had interesting stuff to sell

[Pally]

The powers that be have had lots of advice from all quarters but don't listen. Dickp is spot on.

Sigh…the same issues keep coming up again and again…

Certainly the same issues were raised in previous thread. Its a shame that it hasn't frown from small beginnings like most markets do. I'm not sure Hornimans would stop people coming to the Sydenham one tho if it was growing.

[leenewham]

I suggested years ago that the Sydenham market be based on FEAST in West Norwood and offered to set up a meeting with the organisers.

Spreading Sydenham Market down the high street to help spread footfall, have a bigger variety of stalls and zone it like Feast (it works, it's how most markets operate, it's proven) and make a bigger visual impact on the high street seemed to make sense to me.

As usual nothing happened and it's, frankly, a waste of time trying to get involved. It's why I go to the Horniman, Crystal Palace, Feast, Brockley, Herne Hill and a host of other markets but not Sydenham.

It doesn't matter if the Horniman Market is there or not. There are lots of markets. People like choice. They can all exist. Just like there are shops and cafes and restaurants in Crystal Palace/Forest Hill etc. Just because there is somewhere else, doesn't mean you can't compete.

[Pally]

I go to Feast ..its really good! And I agree, Sydenham lack of growth over time is unlikely to be because of competing markets.