Broadway Market, Hackney

Located on the eponymous Broadway Market with a more recently created overspill in the London Fields Primary School Yard, Broadway Market operates weekly on a Saturday year round.

Stalls comprise an appealing mix of fresh produce, international street food, original and vintage clothing and arts and crafts which perfectly serve the community round and about -- both in what they sell and the distribution of profits.

This area of Hackney is an interesting blend of rapidly disappearing traditional London East London transforming itself to meet the needs of recent more fashion-aware residents and Broadway Market (the street) is arguably the front line. There are still a few older style shops but increasingly the leases are being taken over by shops, cafes and bars that meet the needs of a younger, more affluent clientele, Fred Cooke's Pie, Mash and Jellied Eels shop being one of the few being able to adapt to serve both communities.

The market itself is a similar unusual combination in that its organisation involves a not-for-profit Community Interest Company, Broadway Market Projects CIC which vets trader applications and then passes its recommendations on to Hackney Council which issues the necessary Street Trading consent.

As far as can be established if you don't pass the scrutiny of Broadway Market Projects CIC you don't get on the market. Hackney Council put the shutters up to direct applications from new traders long ago and the market is always full. The CIC believe it now generates Hackney around £2m a year while any surplus Broadway Market Projects CIC goes to fund local community projects, especially local schools, youth groups and pensioners organisations.

The more recent Schoolyard Market around the corner at London Fields Primary School is entirely run by the CIC to the school's benefit but also provides a free platform for locally based "not-for-profits".

That the CIC is rooted in both the market and the community is its key strength as the market itself manages to reach the needs of both old and new residents while necessarily adjusting to the changes going on around it.

By the time of the 2004 relaunch the old Broadway Market of traditional stalls had all but folded, the old community it served having bought its community housing, sold it and moved away and what was on the market offered little to the buyers of their properties. 

The relaunch opened with 40 traders and has now grown to around 115, but it is still very recognisable as a market for real people which greatly supports -- and is supported by -- the surrounding retail. All the traders are regulars and the market is weekly so shoppers have the opportunity to factor regular purchases into their weekly shop, not wait for a month until the market shows up again to restock on their favourite produce. 

The market mix is also appealing - presumably watched over by the CIC which means it attracts interesting people to attend weekly and stay all day in the area. 

Other markets in London may be better known than Broadway but this is a market for residents not tourists and for Londoners who live near, that might make it the best market for London residents in London.