What did you think of the Christmas Market?

What improvements would you like to see to the market in 2012?

As the market is run by volunteers we’ll be taking January and February off again this year and will start back with our first market of 2012 on the 6th March. Look forward to seeing you there!

To get you in the mood for a bit of Christmas shopping, we’ll be providing alternative Christmas Tunes from two of Stirchley’s (if not the country’s) biggest Christmas record enthusiasts, as well as classics from the 1920s-60s by the ladies from Sugarfoot Stomp. .. And they’ll be carols from a Stirchley-based choir.

We’ll also be welcoming Centro back to the market with the Ramblers, who will be leading a walk from the market and back again from 5pm (wooly hat and torch recommended), around the sights of Stirchley, the River Rea, and Hazelwell Park.

And… the big Christmas raffle, being drawn at 7pm, with tickets available up until then, with prizes including a pair of tickets to the CBSO’s Great Big Choral Christmas on December 22nd, a family ticket to the mac’s Christmas show, The Lost Happy Endings, running from 3rd December-7th January, and a pair of tickets to Stirchley Happenings’ own Xmas screening of Miracle on 34th Street on the 17th,  as well as a host of prizes from our stallholders. All money raised from the raffle will go toward the market and helping us become more sustainable.

We hope to see you all there today from 4pm-8pm, at Stirchley United Working Men’s Club, Hazelwell Street, Stirchley.

Merry Christmas!

We’re also teaming up with Centro, who are organising a ‘Festive Walk’ in conjunction with the Ramblers. It will set off from the market at 5pm and return about an hour later, taking in the sights of the River Rea and Hazelwell Park. That leaves plenty of time afterwards for Christmas Shopping, and for that well earned slice of cake, babka, home-made curry, or whatever else takes your fancy!

It will be dark so it’s advisable for you to bring a torch or lantern if you have one, and have a word with the Ramblers anytime from the start of the market at 4pm to let them know if you intend to take part. The Ramblers/Centro stall will be there for the duration of the market as well, with information about their different events and schemes happening in the local area, so do pop along and say hello.

To view the flyer/poster to the left in a larger scale, please click on it for a PDF version.

Harry Starling: a man who knows a good deal

Tomorrow (Tuesday 1st November) sees the penultimate market of the year and we hope to see you there, whether you’re on the lookout for a Christmas gift from one of our arts and crafts stalls, or some locally-produced food. We’ll also have the CBSO at the market tomorrow, who (as Local Arts Champions for the area) will be launching a new community project that everyone can be involved in. And they’ll be some great new arts and crafts and food stalls, from rayograms to macaroons!

November’s Market will also see the start of our monthly deals with:

Buy-one-get-one-free offer on prints from local photographer Harry Starling. (Click here for the voucher, print it off and show it at the stall to redeem the offer.)

And to say thanks for supporting the market, a half-price ciabatta from Loaf when you buy a Stirchley Community Market Mug: all proceeds go towards new market equipment, so pop along to the Stirchley Happenings stall while stocks last!

Mugs cost £5 each, make ideal presents at any time of the year (including Christmas), and can be found on sale at Stirchley Community Market on the first Tuesday of the month alongside badges and songs.

Yum, a cup of tea!!!!

Stirchley Community Market will be half indoors, half outdoors today, so that we can all catch the last rays of Autumn sun around the outdoor stalls, before warming ourselves inside the Working Men’s Club.

On the outside we see the return of the popular Afia’s homemade samosas, Jo’s Coffee,  bread and babka from Loaf, wholefoods from South Birmingham Food Co-op (bring your Tupperware), Stirchley High Street’s newest inhabitants and market regulars, Birmingham Bike Foundry, Bournville based super-deli, Leverton and Halls and the chaps from Urban Harvest, who will turn your apples into gold… we mean juice… or other things.

Inside we have jams, chutneys and oils from Artisan Preserves, a range of different herbs and spices from Jackrabbit, a mini-Oktoberfest from  Stirchley Wines, organic fruit and veg from Barrow Boy, social enterprise cupcakes from Frost and Snow, and plants and jams from local charity Martineau Gardens. All the artists and crafters will be inside, with fairtrade dresses and t-shirts from Traces of Rock, 2nd hand records from vinyl-wizard Tim Gascoigne, H is for House with their famous owl cushions, vintage homewares from Cath and Jenny, frames and mirrors, and fancy doorknobs from Pixiefrog arts and crafts, jewellery from Kiwi Chick, curios, photography and sewn wonders from Harry Starling and Lucy Sparrow, Stirchley Souvenirs from Stirchley Prospects and illustrations and comics from Lizz Lunney.

To wind down after all that shopping, there are massages from David at Well Naturally, and drinks available from the bar. See you there!

With a host of stalls including

Loaf (Fresh Bread)
South Birmingham Food Co-op (Wholefoods)
Artisan Preserves
Capeling and Co (Cheesemongers)
Leverton and Halls (Deli)
Stirchley Wines
Frost and Snow (Cupcakes)
Martineau Gardens (Plants and Preserves)
Afia’s (Samosa’s etc)
Birmingham Bike Foundry
Well Naturally (Massage)
The Craft Parlour
H is for House (Crafts/Homeware)
Pixiefrog Arts and Crafts (Crafts/Homeware)
Harry Starling (Photography/Cu rios)
Carla Smith (Illustrations)
Kiwi Chick Jewellery
Platten Designs (Jewellery)
Stirchley Happenings (Books)
Tim Gascoigne (Records)
Cath & Jenny (Patchwork/cards/crafts)
& drinks available from the Working Men’s Club

There is exciting news this week as local recording artist, Newton Chambers, releases a song all about Stirchley Community Market! On its own, this action would be remarkable enough, but there is extra-specialness attached as the tune is being sold in order to raise money for a new gazebo. Those of you that visit the Market regularly will know that we already make use of 12 gazebos each time, but 8 of those are borrowed from the Council, and in order to make our event truly sustainable we would very much like to purchase our own equipment, hence the fundraising drive. The song really is very good, and by buying a copy you will not only be aiding the long term future of the Market but also securing a scintillating aural experience!

The ditty is available for download from itunes and amazon, with hard copies (CD format) to be found at the Market.You can read more at the blog of Newton Chambers: NC Blog.

Lovely gazebos and lovely things.

On the arts side they’ll be illustration and comics from world-famous illustrator and animal-lover Lizz Lunney, Birmingham prints by local artist Robert Geoghegan and photography and curios from urban-explorer and dead-pigeon fancier Harry Starling. Homemade crafts come in the form of jewellery by Kiwi Chick, Sue Mason-Burns, fairtrade kids’ clothing from Charlotte at Traces of Rock, and clothes and other household crafts from Adrienne Wynn, Emma at H is for House and Lucy Sobrero.

]]> http://stirchleycommunitymarket.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/arts-crafts-and-other-stallholders/feed/ 0 stirchleycommunitymarket Birmingham Bike Foundry at SCM, photo by John Charlton http://stirchleycommunitymarket.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/food-at-the-august-market/ http://stirchleycommunitymarket.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/food-at-the-august-market/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:58:00 +0000 Stirchley Community Market http://stirchleycommunitymarket.wordpress.com/?p=338 ]]> Just a quick update on the food situation at the August market – As Stirchley Wines will be down in that London representing the homeland at the Great British Beer Festival they won’t be making an appearance at the market this month. Likewise Leverton and Hall’s are visiting the big smoke for a different reason so they won’t be there either. We are seeing the return of the fantastic cheese stall by Capeling and Co though, and Loaf and South Birmingham Food Co-op have decided to team-up on their new fresh bread and general provision stall. There’ll be great fresh produce from barrow boy, jam and chutney’s from Artisan Preserves, cupcakes from Frost and Snow, speciality drinks by Jo’s Coffee to go…, and plants and preserves from Martineau Gardens. In addition we have a few new stallholders joining us…

Selly Oak based Afia’s will be there selling fresh home cooked Indian food such as samosa’s and pakoras, with a special line in gluten free products. A new local business called Jackrabbit will also be present selling herbs and spices, which will be a great addition to the market. Finally Urban Harvest will be there telling us about this great new food social enterprise and probably letting us taste some lovely preserves too!

Hope to see you there tomorrow…