Dave Jackson’s family has had a stall in Chapel Market for over a century. Having been born a couple of meters away from where the stall is located, it has been a part of his routine for his entire life, and he’s been working on it for 60 years.
The popular fruit and vegetable store, which has always been a staple of the street, earned him the title of “Islington Market’s Trader of the Year 2017”.
“I love it here. I just love doing what I’m doing. I can’t sit down,” he says excitedly. But when asked if he has seen a decline in the market over the years, he can’t help but look away. “It’s like everywhere.”
He’s not the only stallholder to feel this way. Over the past decade, dozens of reports have highlighted the changing demographic of the market stalls, which once were home not only to greengrocers, but butchers, carpenters and toymakers. Looking around the market now, newer stalls are now equipped with phone cases and chargers, and even accept contactless cards as payment. It’s not the same place as it was even a decade ago, and that’s beginning to be a problem.
The London borough of Islington boasts many markets, yet only five of them are council-funded: Archway, Camden Passage, Chapel, Exmouth, and Whitecross Street.
Chapel Market, located between Angel Station and King’s Cross, has been at the heart of Islington’s trading centre since the 1800s. First established in 1879 as Chapel Street, the name was changed to ‘Chapel Market’ in 1936 to correctly describe the atmosphere in the area.
But the outdoor market has gone through numerous transformations since it was first introduced to Londoners. It used to take up the entirety of the Chapel Market street, with stalls every day of the week.
Now, it takes up less than half of the pedestrian street, and some stalls are only present at the weekend. One of the many factors contributing to the demise of Chapel Market is the establishment of big-brand supermarket stores, says local shopper Annette Almond.
“You won’t get the youngsters going on a potato stall. They get [their groceries] all in one shop. You’d go to the supermarket because it was convenient, but you’d walk out because it was too expensive.”
The first store to open own the street, Almond remembers, was Anthony Jackson in the late 1950s, a self-service grocery store. The community had never seen anything like it, she says. “When we walked in there, it was amazing.”
Anyone living near the area now is spoilt for choice; within a one-minute walking distance of the famed street, there’s a Marks and Spencers, an Iceland Foods, a Sainsbury’s and, most recently, a Waitrose.
“People don’t come to the market to spend money” – Aisha caglar
In the late 80s, Aisha Caglar attended a school near the market and fondly remembers what it was like. “The Chapel Market used to be extremely busy from the beginning of the street to the end. Most of the time students weren’t allowed to pass because we made lots of noises, disturbing customers.”
Now, after raising her two kids, she’s decided to open her own clothes stall. “I’ve only been here three months and I’m shocked, it’s so quiet. There’s hardly anyone. It’s only people from the offices, or maybe locals walk past,” she notes.
The location of the market contributes to this feeling. Rent prices in the area have skyrocketed to an average of £482 per week for a one-bedroom flat, according to a local property seller. Office prices can start at £550 per person per month.
Islington’s community has benefited from this new influx; although it is currently the 24th most deprived borough in the country, it continues to fall every year. However, income equality has become more prevalent in the area, having risen by 138% since 2017.
This is mirrored in the way that Chapel Market operates. Considering that hosting a pitch, the name given to these stalls, will cost £250 a month at the very least, it is no wonder that the image of the market has changed too. The prices keep rising every year. Traders must raise the prices of their own products if they want to keep up.
But this is not a crisis that can be solely contained to Chapel Market, Caglar continues. “People don’t come to the market to spend money. Communities are getting richer and richer. If they’re going to spend money, they won’t do it in a market like this.”
The rise of online shopping has played a part in the decline of markets all around the world, and Britain is not immune. A recent report by the Office for National Statistics has highlighted a similar trend, demonstrating that online sales rose by 15% from 2017 to 2018, and is showing no rates of slowing down.
Chapel Market acts as a microcosm for what is happening all over London. Markets across the city are decreasing in volume, and being replaced by other stalls. In Southwark, the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) found that the number of occupied pitches fell by 59% between 1998 and 2008.
Those yearning for the “good old days” of the Market has become synonymous with the nostalgia of an easier childhood growing up in Islington. They remember leaving kids in prams outside whilst they went shopping, buying their first electrical appliances at the market and having a personal connection with the stallholders.
These customers and traders are ingrained in Islington’s history, and although they feel pity that the incoming generation will not have the same experiences as them, they do not know how that can be solved.
There have been ideas to revitalise the market in recent years, such as the inclusion of London Farmers’ Market every Sunday or the participation in Islington’s Trader of The Year competition. The consensus of those in the area is that one day, the market will close its stalls once and for all. Whatever the outcome is, some of its oldest and most loyal customers will stay.
As for Dave Jackson, one of the market’s most recognisable faces, there is no other alternative. “We’ll be here til Doomsday,” he says.
