Stallholders at the Mildmay Club’s Craft Market in Newington Green are worried about how many customers they can bring in before Christmas as the cost-of-living crisis hits their customer base.
The market, which has sparked an expansion in membership to the Mildmay Club since it began in 2018, opens the otherwise private members’ building to the public six times a year.
Julia Andrews, who organises the market, said it was important that the club “supports local creators” during the run-up to Christmas – usually the most lucrative period for craft-makers.
Andrews, a screen printer, said: “I come from the sympathy of a stallholder – it’s a lot tougher for everyone this year, so pricing will be sensitive to that.”
Stallholders are finding that the labour going in to making the products is much greater than what the products are ultimately sold for.
This imbalance has been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis – stallholders find the need to reprice their products met with a more “cautious” customer base. As a result, many feel they are underselling their work.
Tashi Hill, who is starting out her craft store after graduating from Leeds Arts University, said: “It’s difficult, because most people don’t want to spend too much. For example, I spent upwards of eight hours embroidering a pillow which I’ve priced at £55. That feels like its under-priced, but it’s the most I feel I can put it up for.”
With the next market due to take place on 10 December, this Christmas is set to prove what Andrews described as the “need to be adaptable” for its stallholders.
The National Office for Statistics (ONS) stated that inflation in the UK hit 11.1 percent in October, impacting tradesmen who are struggling with rising supply costs and fewer customers.
