Kat Mullen & Mathew Petit @ The Teenage Market Stockport
Last Sunday I went down to what was to hopefully be the first of many Teenage Market’s in Stockport
Organised by 17yr old art & design student Tom Barratt the market was everything you’d want from a market – vibrant, original and selling the sort of unique goods that Tesco’s can’t or won’t compete with
As I walked round a bustling market looking at brand new t-shirt brands, art prints through to jewellery and cupcakes it brought to mind the Northern Quarter and the idea that our satellite towns can be just as vibrant
Popping over to an arts tent I watched singer songwriters Kat Mullen and Mathew Petit perform, later in the day was to be the debut screening of a new film featuring Clint Boon and Bez.
Perhaps the only anomaly of the whole day was the bizarre addition of Morris Dancers in the outdoor performance area which harked back to traditional out of touch markets – but with many parents in attendance it allowed the oldies to have a more sedate day while the teens went round and spent spent spent
It begs the question why can’t something like this happen in Altrincham
The event itself was as busy as Taste Of Trafford was – it brought new faces to the market and it encouraged teenagers to set up their own businesses and be proactive
As shopping centres are struggling we are told continuously that independent business and retail outlets will save them
And as somebody who used to run All Ages Music Events in Sale that used to attract 3-400 teenagers each month it’s a shame to see that the next generation of teenagers have nothing of their own. Many of the 14yr olds that attended our gigs years ago are now studying music at University and with events like The Teenage Market the next generation of designers, artists and businesses could be encouraged to become the next Portas, Hemmingway or Bailey
If Trafford Council and GMP Altrincham do one thing this week – it should be to pick up the phone to The Teenage Market team and say we want you to launch an event in Altrincham as well
More info on the Teenage Market here
http://theteenagemarket.co.uk/
