Over the last two weekends, I have visited markets and fairs in London and also the East Riding of Yorkshire (nowadays often referred to as ‘Hockney country). In London, I visited the Columbia Road Flower Market, Brick Lane and Spitalfields Market (if you have never visited them then they are well worth a trip) and in Yorkshire villages too small to mention but hidden in the crevices of the wolds .
Each of these markets and fairs gave young entrepreneurs an opportunity to sell their goods – ranging from Caribbean food, silk scarves from Central Asia, amber and linen from the Baltic states, to 1950s and 1960s homeware. A number of these stalls were owned and managed by students working their way through university while others were recent graduates keen to establish themselves as entrepreneurs and develop their business skills. Talking to them, it was fascinating to hear how they came about their business ideas – serendipity and university networks were frequently mentioned. They all saw it as a way of making money, developing their skills and their CVs, and also having a good time. I enjoyed meeting them and left with some super presents.
