Spotlight On… Guilden Morden Village Market
Launched in April 2021, Guilden Morden Village Market is a monthly market based at The Three Tuns, a community-owned pub in Guilden Morden. Following periods of lockdown, the market was launched to provide a place where people could shop in the open air, meet their friends and neighbours and help support local artisan businesses. It also helps to promote the village pub. The market is organised by Guilden Morden Community Pub Ltd, which with the support of shareholders (now some 300) purchased the pub in 2018 after a six-year campaign. The pub is leased to tenants Peter & Megan Friskey, who reopened the pub in June 2019. They offer an inviting Market Day Menu, welcoming familiar and new faces to the extensive garden and 300-year old pub building.
With the focus on Food, Drink & Crafts, the market now has a pool of over 35 stallholders, with between 18 and 25 stalls at each market. There’s a mixture of established businesses such as Crumps Butchers from Ashwell, Pinkster Gin from Newton and Brewboard from Harston, side by side with The Fudge Apron, Funky Ladybird Clothing, Pulse Pasties and Eco-household Products. Visitors really enjoy being able to chat to French wine importer L’Ami Jac, discuss vines with the owner of Four Acres English sparkling wine or watch the chef creating fresh Polpetta Pasta. We are so lucky to have a wide variety of stalls, including skincare products, homemade candles, cakes, cards and crafts, homegrown flowers, fruit and veg and garden ware. Many of our stallholders gain business from customers in between the markets, it’s so much more than a Saturday morning pitch!
There’s a £10 charge for a pitch to make it affordable for everyone and there’s always a ‘Community Stall’ to help local groups and charities raise their profile or raise funds. These have included the local primary school, bowls club and St Mary’s Church Harvest Stall. In November ‘Save The Children’ will be selling their Christmas cards.
The market has been a great success. After six markets, people are starting to hear about us and new stallholders are getting in touch. Markets give small businesses a chance to launch their business/products at a low cost, to test the market and to get face-to-face feedback from their customers. Many of us are shopping online but nothing beats buying directly from real people at a market, eating, drinking and enjoying items produced by these local people.
Markets are always on the second Saturday of the month, so the next market is Saturday, 13th November 9am-12pm.
More information about the market can be found at www.gmcpltd/market
Facebook – guildenmordenvillagemarket
Instagram – guildenmordenvillagemarket
Venue details – The Three Tuns, Guilden Morden SG8 0JP
www.thethreetunsguilden.co.uk
