The stall used to be owned by an old lady and old gentleman. Its now owned by their daughter. She is a lovely lady - just like her Mum used to be and superb at serving on this very busy stall, making sure that customers are all being "served" and chatted to. Amazing customer service. We got talking about her parents and she told me that her dad had worked on the stall until he was 100 years old! Just after his 100th birthday, he broke his hip, and a 2 week hospital stay saw him lose muscle tone and he wasn't able to work after that. He died at 102 years old.
I remember him serving me about 4 years ago and I would never have thought he was in his late 90's. What an amazing gent.Any way, the ribbon was 8p per metre and not 75p per metre like it was in Hobbycraft, and she apologised that the lace I had chosen was 85p per metre. I said that it was fine, as it was £4.99 per metre in Hobbycraft! And the staff were no where near as chatty and nice!
The whole experience was so much nicer than a trip out to a retail park, and so much cheaper. Parking is currently free in Barnsley on Saturdays too. I'm going to use the market a lot this year - proper austerity measures at this house!!!
The whole experience was so much nicer than a trip out to a retail park, and so much cheaper. Parking is currently free in Barnsley on Saturdays too. I'm going to use the market a lot this year - proper austerity measures at this house!!!
31 comments:
Well done on supporting the market Diane!
I went to hobbycraft yesterday and was also horrified at the prices!
Seems they have changed over to designer fabrics which I know are pricey, 12.95 per metre!!
What was the ribbon for then??
How lovely hearing about the stall's history and the dear old gent still serving ribbons into his 90's!
I too despair over the prices in Hobbycraft, trouble is there are so few places to buy such items nowadays. I don't think my local market stall even has a haberdashers any more!
Oh, I thought you'd visited my local ribbon stall for a minute! We have one just like that (Hereford Butter Market) - with the same excellent friendly service - and cheap too! I always get my stuff there.
How lovely that the stall is still in the same family. It's rare to get good customer service these days so it's always nice to hear about somewhere which delivers it so well.
How fab that the stall is still going strong!
What are you making? Are these supplies for more cards?
Lisa x
wow! xxx
That is the sort of stall I need to find. As you say these sort of things are so expensive in the shops and particularly so in the French shops. I have seen them on market stalls from time to time where they are much cheaper. Diane
8p a metre!!! - flippin eck! I need this stall near me.
Sorry for not being about much - I'm not a lover of January and have been hibernating. Hopefully I'll have a blog post later today.
Jill x
Hi Diane
As you know I live just up the road from Barnsley, must get over there as I have an urge to go fabric shopping. I haven't been to Barnsley since Twiglet was in a pushchair!! In the 80s and 90s my Mum used to make all her own clothes and told me the best place ever for fabric and haberdashery was Barnsley market. She also told me it was so reasonable, she could knock up a fabulous skirt for a few quid!!
Twiggy x
what a beautiful stall and such a lovely story too.
i'm wishing i lived closer to you too and could accompany you on a trip to t'tarn.. any good coffee shops?
...And I thought that Hobbycraft was cheaper than Italian suppliers!
xxx
Basically it's daylight robbery in Hobbycraft!!!
Lovely story, think I might have to visit Barnsley again quite soon.
Carol xx
Wishing I had somewhere like that near here....... Hobbycraft is lovely to take a look around (I manage it about once a year!) but it IS very expensive. E Bay is good, but you don't get to feel the stuff before you buy, do you?
8p a metre wow! That is fantastic that the stall is still going and in the same family. x
A lovely trip down memory lane Diane x
Hobby craft is terribly expensive , they charge more for yarn than my LYS , and buttons ....don't get me started !
Lovely story , markets are the best :0)
Jacquie x
Wow! Yes I agree re Hobbycraft being so expensive. I have a really good contact should you ever want to make more cards - ni minimum quantity either! We are not that far from Barnsley - we are just near Whitby North Yorkshire - do you know it?
I love crafty stalls in markets if I can still find them. Chester market is about half the size it used to be. Our local craft shop closed down about a year ago, and my alternative is Hobbycraft... which drives me mad ... it's expensive and impersonal. Great story about the family business!
xxx
Markets are great if you know where to look. My cousin used to have a haberdashery stall in Leicester. I have sometimes helped by measuring off knicker elastic!
Happy New Year! This has got to be a treasure trove! I just hope that more people like you will continue to go there rather than the big chainstores...
It's always so satisfying to be able to buy local and it looks like they have an amazing selection too.
Mmmmm....How can I warrant a trip to Barnsley market????Do I really need any mor ribbons,lace or buttons and fabric?????
Looks like a great stall though....
Sandie xx
Markets are great, there is a stall in Halifax but it's quite dear for a market stall. I go to one on Widnes market when I go to see my mum, they are just like the one you used in Barnsley.
love
Lyn
xxx
I've only ever been to Hobbycraft once , I have to admit I wasn't really impressed . I much prefer local - just like your goodself .
I have not been to Barnsley market in years, but I am in need of a lot of ribbon so a trip might be on the cards.
Vanessa x
Good for you supporting a local family business, those bargains are your reward.
I would always choose to shop at a family-owned concern than a big chain...it's just hard to do it these days!
What a lovely story about the family who run market stall. That as well as their more reasonable prices would make me support them as often as I could. We popped into hobbycraft at Bridgemere at the weekend; I did notice how expensive wool, paper and ribbon was:)
If her parents were more than 100 years old, she must be getting on as well - amazing! sounds like a lovely stall. We've got a fantastic food produce market in Bury St Eds every Wed/Sat, and I've been going to some of the stalls for going on 15 years - they've seen the kids from when they were babies. Am currently enjoying a red hyacinth coming into bloom which I bought last weekend.
I've been meaning to go to Barnsley market for ages. I will have to try to get there soon. There used to be some great fabric stalls there on a Saturday. Are any of them still around i wonder?
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