So many stalls, so little time

Suddenly, there are tourists everywhere, and most of them seem to think it’s acceptable to stop in the middle of a crowded pavement. Usually so that they can take a picture of the nearest lamp-post or observe a display of over-sized sausages. This weekend, though, our little city really pulled it out of the (jute) bag – Parliament Street and Sampson Square were completely covered with over 50 stalls for the Big Green Eco Market.

Just in terms of numbers, 50 stalls is a lot to jam into one street – and if you weren’t there, believe me, you certainly felt jammed walking around it. What that meant was that the range of eco-friendly products on offer was extensive. From clothes to carrots, from meat to musical instruments, the market was there to provide for your every eco-need.

One stall that kept me entertained for quite sometime was Black Yak. In case you missed the market, their stall next to Parliament Street is there all year. You can’t really miss it, because they happen to sell the world’s brightest and silliest hats ever, apparently known as Magua hats. I’m aware it seems to be a current fashion now to have giant tassels hanging down from the sides of your hat, but that indie kid you saw on the bus yesterday has nothing on these: Black Yak are the proud stockists of rainbow woolie hats with so many bobbles, spikes and furry things that they seem to be exploding from every possible surface. Fairly traded with crafts workers in the Himalayas and Nepal, they’re fun for you and your conscience.

At the centre of Parliament Street was what I suspect was probably one of the more popular features: the Big Green Market Bar. For every student who’s ever wanted a seal of approval on their drinking habits, Freedom Organic Lager comes with a high commendation from the environment charity the Soil Association.

Despite that, my favourite stall undoubtedly had to be Orchid Trading. Infinitely more entertaining than the name suggests, the stall wasn’t just selling orchids – it was selling a wide range of environmentally friendly musical instruments. I could have stood and played with the Karimbas – little bowl-shaped finger pianos – all day, if it wasn’t for the fact that it would have looked a) a little sad and b) like I was attempting to goad the stallowners into killing me out of sheer annoyance. Their instruments were all hand-crafted, and moreover, included such joys as rainsticks and didgeridoos. What’s not to like? Unless you happened to be working nearby all day, in which case, maybe you weren’t such a fan. Oops.

The Big Green Eco Market only had one real downside to it – it was only in York from Thursday to Sunday. It’s moving on to Solihull for Christmas, if you’re desperate to see it, but alternatively, go to the website at Big Green Eco Market, where you’ll find a listing of all the stalls. Many of them, including the ones I’ve mentioned, have their own websites, where you can order anything that takes your fancy, without having to force your way through a crowd of lamp-post photographers in order to do it.

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.