My First 'Post Lockdown Market' photo on social media created lots of interest.
One comment was from @bridportlockdown one of my favourite accounts, (never knowingly scrolled past).
Its an Instagram page set up to record thoughts, pictures and feelings of local people through their own Lockdown journey. Take a look, its fascinating.
So I was really flattered when they asked me if they could use the picture on their page, and for me to submit some words to accompany it, about my own Lockdown journey, from a Market Traders perspective.
What I didn't realise 'till now is that the account is working in conjunct with Bridport Town Council and the charity Mind, and that all these photos and thoughts are being capturered for future reference as part of the COVID 19 archive at Dorsets History Centre.
What a brilliant initiative, to insure that future generations know our thoughts as well as the historical facts of life during the COVID 19 pandemic.
I'm not sure if I gave them what they wanted but once I started, it all sort of tumbled out. Much of it I've already covered in my social media or the blog but here's what I put down on paper for future generations to see: -
First there was lockdown then there was rubbish weather, then finally the time was absolutely right to return to my beloved Bridport Market.
I was one of the few who stalled out the week before lockdown. We knew something big was happening but Boris and the Town Council told us we could trade, so we continued to stall out safely with space & sanitiser.
However, we were lambasted on social media, which stung.
I manage the Bridport Market Facebook page so I saw many more vitriolic messages than everyone else. For this reason I waited longer than most to put my head back above the parapet.
Market traders are a weird bunch of mavericks, independent and hard as nails but we've all kept in touch over lockdown, offering tenuous but precious support.
By phone, text or social media, keeping strong joint and severally, checking up.
Personally, I kept manically busy, my coping mechanism.
Before life as a Vintage dealer, I was a fashion designer so I always have piles of fabric and a projects in the go, so I made masks, 550 to date for anyone who needed them, Hospitals, care homes friends and businesses. Being useful and busy helped enormously, but I so missed the 'buzz' of the Market.
My usual pitch is outside Porter Dodson on South Street, but my lovely silver birch tree creats an obstacle for the new distancing measures so I'm a floating trader for now.
So how fabulous that I got the front of the iconic Bridport Arts Centre, just me and my little stall before all that Georgian architecture.
First day back was everything I hoped for, catching up with stall holder's, some who barely nodded before, now offering conversation.
Some who weren't yet trading came into town just to say hello. Customers found me in my grand new pitch and couldn't hide their glee in the welcome 'normality' of it all, comparing weight gain and lockdown anecdotes. I even spotted returning holidaymakers.
It all bodes well, Bridport is waking up, Bridport Market is back stronger than ever.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; we Market traders.
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