Birmingham Canal Square: take a look at the new city centre artisan market

The pandemic saw many craft and food businesses start and develop through the various lockdowns, and the launch of the Canal Square Market offers these traders, amongst others, a platform to engage directly with the local community. And with live music and entertainment is a wonderful place to visit while bringing the community and neighbours together after a tough couple of years.

Fran Elder, organiser, said: “So this is the very first market, artisan market in Canal Square. So we’ve got local foods - most of these people come from Birmingham or a little bit further out, but most of them actually, right in the middle of Birmingham, we’ve got local artists from Birmingham, fantastic local artists. So these are all local generated businesses and they actually produce themselves. So it’s quite exciting.”

A wave of entrepreneurialism swept the UK during the pandemic, where the number of online retail businesses being set up per month in 2020 rose by 66% from the previous year. And with a significant proportion of these businesses being artisanal, the easing of restrictions has finally granted these passionate purveyors a long overdue opportunity for face to face interaction with their customers.

Susan Davis, Co-owner of Odi + Moo, said: “This is our third market we’ve done, and it’s brilliant because I get to speak to the customers, chat face to face. I meet a lot of people that tried our product, wholesale and also take home tubs. So yeah, it’s great to catch up with the customers!”

Norman Bartlam who was visiting the market said: “It’s a great opportunity to get everybody from the local community to come out and meet up again with everybody, especially with the pandemic, the way things have been and people who’ve been cooped up in their houses and things.”

The Canal Square Market will be appearing a few more times over the course of the year, the next one being on the 29th July. Coinciding with the start of the Commonwealth Games the market will further add to the atmosphere of a city bursting with creativity and diversity - as the world casts its spotlight on Birmingham.

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