A great new scheme was unveiled by South Kesteven District Council this week aiming to bring a boost to Grantham’s Saturday market.
The ‘Love Your Market’ campaign, offering one of 15 places for a stall in the market on May 18 for just £10 and possession of public liability insurance, is a fantastic way to bring crowds to local businesses.
As well as the incentive from a cheaper stall, the council are offering a free stall to the stallholders on the day.
With incentives in place for the traders there are also a few ideas in place to bring in the punters including a treasure hunt being held for youngsters with a prize for the winner.
With what promises to be a more diverse and vibrant Market Place than what we’ve seen recently I believe this scheme could well succeed in boosting local economy.
You have to ask how long that would last for however. One day is a good start and may be a huge success for all involved which might be enough to perpetuate sold out stalls and a busy atmosphere every Saturday.
If it’s only moderately successful though how long until we start seeing empty stalls again? All it takes is a couple weeks in a row with bad weather or lack of a turn out and stallholders may again wonder why to bother.
Either way I certainly can’t blame the SKDC for trying something new to bring in trade. It’s a smart campaign with a family-friendly focus, and is aiming to bring something to Grantham that many of us feel has been missing, a strong boost to local business.
l Are you pleased to see SKDC doing something to give the Saturday market in Grantham a boost? What else do you think would bring the market back to its best? E-mail: comment@granthamjournal.co.uk