Sydenham Market today - Saturday 14 June

[Chris Best]

11am-5pm today at Venner Square & Queensthorpe Square, Sydenham Road
Please come along and support the local traders and pick up information on the Arts Festival. Lewisham Council have booked a range of stalls - food as well as arts & crafts.

[mosy]

I walked past Venner Square on the opposite side of the road and missed it completely. I then read your post so popped along again wondering how I'd missed it. Easy, nothing to draw my eyes across the road like music, barkers whatever, no-one milling around as again the frontage has been blocked off by inward facing stalls.

The first markets left the frontage open and the tree and it's surrounding plinth available for people to sit on with their food and drink and yet again it's been excluded by the placement of an inward-facing stalls.

I've said before that I just don't get the placement of the stalls. They should encourage people in to look further, not block them out.

The vegan cake looked inviting - I could have tried a couple together with a glass of the fruit juices on offer, if the tree plinth had been there to sit on. There isn't even a central "eat at" table to stand around. Hmm.

[mosy]

Well, the weather has brightened up, so still time to pop along

[Jimmeh]

I love this market and yet missed it again because I didn't know it was occurring. This needs better advertising to make people aware it's on.
I walk up Venner Road, through the square next to Barclays, on my way to the station everyday - twice. I had no idea this was occurring. Banners, or signage of some sort, is most definitely required in several locations toward the top of Sydenham Road.

It used to be the last Sunday of the month, but because this is now more staggered, this makes some sort of advertising all the more important.

Relying solely on passing trade on the day will spell the end of this market, I fear... people need to be made aware it's occurring so they can plan their Sunday - or even part of their weekend - around it.

[alywin]

I totally agree: have Lewisham done anything to publicise it at all? (Perhaps they haven't ventured into the bits of Sydenham which are technically Bromley?). I only discovered it by chance, when I came across the vegan cake stall down at Morden Hall a few weeks ago (that's on the tramline into Wimbledon, for those who don't know). Had I not got chatting to the lady running the stall, and said what a shame they were so far away from me, I'd never have found out that it was taking place less than 10 minutes away from where I live!

Now I know it's there, I've marked it in the diary for next month. But the other thing: I don't remember seeing any signs at Venner Square telling me that there was another half of the market down the road somewhere. That needs to be addressed, too.

[broken_shaman]

This is like groundhog day.

[Tim Lund]

The problem is, to coin a phrase, that the Sydenham Market is managed by a zombie social enterprise, i.e. SEE3, whose funding has run out. On the business news, you hear about zombie companies, which banks keep going, even though they are unlikely to have any future, because winding them up would mean recognising a loss. SEE3 just don't have the resources to do the necessary marketing, or even website maintenance, which is why this is the sort of thing you can read today:



Thinking about how things could be better, I've looked more at Lee's suggestion of how they do things at West Norwood Feast. Being more of an economist than designer, I look for where the financial incentives are which keep it going, and who is managing them. It wasn't obvious from the West Norwood Feast web site, but by following the link for commercial rentals, yesterday, I think I found a significant clue - Project : Shine, where we read

We work with a wide range of organisations around the U.k to bring markets back.
Whether you are a Local Authority, community Group, Charity, School or Festival, let us help you support your Local Artisan produces and build stronger community relations through market places.



Project : SHINE has helped support, design, construct, manage and promote over 100 markets in the last 5 years. Our flagship market project being the West Norwood Feast, now entering its fourth year and going from strength to strength.

I'm contacting them now to see if they have any ideas for us here in Sydenham.

[michael]

Sydenham market tomorrow (Saturday 11th July)
https://www.facebook.com/WeareSEE3

[Rachael]

Here we go again. I have been up and down Sydenham Road numerous times this week. No where did I notice any promotion for this market. Running a bad / poorly attended market is worse than running none at all, as it is damaging the 'brand'.

[jonathan_har]

SSM - Save Sydenham Market!

[mosy]

Can't access the Facebook link. So is there a market tomorrow, Sat 12th July? Presumably at all three of Syd Station Approach, Venner Square and Queensthorpe(?) Square?

I missed the last one(s) from not knowing they were on.

Shouldn't there at least be a new thread headed "Sydenham Market(s) Sat July 12th"? I'd start a thread, but Sat July 11 is not a valid date so dunno. As said, no indication on Syd Road today...

[mosy]

Just checked to make sure I'm not talking through my hat.

At the Venner Square, there is a poster up for an event on 5th July.
Ditto Station Approach square - poster for 5th July.

Says it all really.

[broken_shaman]

The market is tomorrow. The posters are probably left from last week's event.

The market is at Venner and Queensthorpe. It is on at the same locations on the second Saturday of every month.

[mosy]

The market is tomorrow. The posters are probably left from last week's event.

The market is at Venner and Queensthorpe. It is on at the same locations on the second Saturday of every month.

[my bold]
Yes, clearly, and I guess Sydenham Arts Festival pinned them up. Maybe traders could get together and pin their own posters up if markets are a regular event?

It doesn't look as if the council has any intention of doing so. Hopefully I'm mistaken and they'll revisit the idea of promoting the markets visibly. I'm not familiar with "can and can't" regs but if posters are allowed, why aren't there any for the markets?

[broken_shaman]

As a trader, I can assure you that my twitter account, facebook page and my posts on this forum contain plenty of information about the market.

In addition, I've spent some of my time during the past few weeks trying to find out what is happening with promotion, which has managed to get a last minute mention from the SEE3 facebook page, and twitter account, in addition to a retweet from the sydenham arts trail twitter account.

Whilst creating products, at home, I'e been taking pictures and linking them up on the web to try and create awareness too.

So yeah. Posters are a great idea. Over to you Sydenham. It's your market.

See you all tomorrow no doubt...

[Chris Best]

Just to say there are the pink stripped posters in the two town centre notice boards - near the station and The Sydenham Centre. I have previously put up 30 of these posters and it was still in the Coop yesterday. The last Sydenham Assembly Newsletter delivered door to door in the ward had the poster on a quarter of the page - print run of 7,000. The smaller pink cards have been handed out and I took a batch down to the Arts Festival and they were on the info table at the Livesey last night. Lewisham markets have on the web site and have retweeted etc.

Of course we need more volunteers to put up posters, hand out cards, flyers into school bags to remind everyone it is the 2nd Saturday. So don't be shy in getting in touch with SEE3 to offer some help. If you want to help washing down the stalls we are at Venner Square this morning from 9am.

[leenewham]

Is there any news on the signage proposal see3 asked me to look at that I sent to you a while back which included the ideas for Sydenham market Chris?

Shop windows and public notice boards are so cluttered with posters most people don't really notice them let alone read them.