If you’re from Liverpool, you know Greatie Market.
Whether you’ve heard stories from your mum over the years or you’ve been dragged out of bed early on a Saturday morning to be first to the bargains, everyone seems to have a Greatie story. The Great Homer Street market has long been a staple in Liverpool’s history - and its stall holders plan on it continuing to be.
For more than 180 years, Greatie Market has been part of Liverpool, and has remained at the heart of the city even after several changes. It runs every Saturday with hundreds of stallholders offering a wide variety of products, from fruit and veg, meats and cakes to flowers, crafts and clothing.
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However, while people might love all the bargains they’re able to get at Greatie, it’s the sellers who really make Greatie what it is. The stall holders have kept the market going through thick and thin, particularly after facing restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic and being forced to remain closed for a number of months.
You’d be hard pressed to find an atmosphere like the one you get at Greatie anywhere else. I recently spent a Saturday morning down at the market to understand the magic behind it, and was overwhelmed at just how warm and friendly the community is.
It was a challenge, walking the length and breadth of Greatie Market early on a Saturday morning. Hundreds of people had descended on the small patch of land keen to get their hands on a bargain - and with the cost of living so high, who could be surprised that people were focused on getting things cheap?
With narrow aisles between large stalls, there’s not much space to move when the crowd is so busy. It was clear that some people knew exactly where they were going and what for, but others were stopping to have a mooch around for different products.
While the stock may be eclectic and cover just about everything you could ever need, each stall had one thing in common. A smiling, friendly face selling their stock and taking the time to stop for a chat - if they didn’t have huge queues, of course.
I managed to snag myself the odd bargain throughout the morning, but according to some sellers people arrive as early as 7am in order to get their hands on a good deal. But they’re welcomed by sellers who are up for a chat as they finish setting up and starting their day.
I spoke to a number of stallholders including Pat Park, who is known around Greatie as one half of Alec and Pat, the household products stall. Pat and her husband Alec sell everything from bedding and towels to cushions, rugs and “whatever we can get that we can sell at a reasonable price”, according to Pat.
Pat has been selling at Greatie for around seven years, having previously been at the old site too. According to Pat, she usually arrived at Greatie for 6am - though Alec will have been there from around 4.15am to set up
She said: “He will have stocked most of the stuff and I helped do the rest. You just get used to it. We have one or two people who turn up around 6.40am - not a lot though. The first regulars arrive from 7am/7.30am - it’s two friends first, you just know the pattern, the same ones at the same time every week.
“For some people it's a social event - they stay all day after getting the first bargains, go inside for their breakfast and then go back out later on to carry on shopping.”
Pat said that working at Greatie “doesn’t feel like a job” because it's so fun and its “absolute community feel”. She added: “The pandemic destroyed communities everywhere and we were really worried about Greatie bouncing back after lockdown. But we kept it going with a virtual market that my daughter started doing - so now every week I go around with a video to show people what we’ve got and show the other stalls around us as well.
“It’s [Greatie] a friendly feel, it feels like they’re friends rather than customers. Besides anything else you’re gonna get a bargain, no matter what you want. Everything is so cheap. The traders are so good, most are local, a lot are local families.
“I always say we’ve got nothing exclusive that other people haven’t got - so why us? I think it's because we make time for people. It’s an absolutely great market and very sociable.” In a word, Pat described Greatie as “vibrant”.
Another seller, Angela Carr, has been selling baby clothes at Greatie for the past 10 years. According to Angela, she usually sets up on a Friday as her stall is indoors, making it easier for herself on a Saturday, when she can refresh stock throughout the day.
While Angela’s at Greatie from 6am, shoppers are usually milling about by 7am. She said: “It can be a bit manic, it gets so busy but I suppose it's because we’re the only market around on a Saturday.
“We’ve got a couple of regulars, there’s people who come from all over the city. They request products if we haven’t got their sizes in that day, especially shoes but they come back the next week for them.
“We’re [the sellers] all friends here, it’s like family really. We all look out for each other, especially when there’s any mischief. It’s like a community, everyone meets for a coffee or looks after your stall while you go to the toilet. It's vibrant, it’s the greatest market around.” In a word, Angela described Greatie as “fabulous”.
Another seller, who didn’t want to be named or pictured, said they’d been selling products at Greatie for around 15 years, both inside and outside. They usually set up around 7am and stay until 2.30pm.
They said: “The customers are brilliant, they bring proper scouse humour. It's just like a community. The old site had an older demographic, but we see a lot of younger people now. Things were different when the site moved to where it is now but it’s slowly starting to pick up.
“The [stallholders] outside have proper banter but inside there’s a lot of similar stalls so there’s that. But when you’re close, look after each other.” In a word, they described Greatie as “diverse”.
Greatie Market takes place on Great Homer Street every Saturday. You can find out more here.
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