Two Bury Market stallholders celebrated a glittering milestone this month after reaching half a century of trading.

The two stallholders, Chadwick’s Original Bury Black Puddings and The Shoe Place, celebrate a century of trading between them in November.

Both were paid a visit by the mayor of Bury, Cllr Shaheena Haroon, last week in celebration of their achievement and hard work. 

The business now known as The Shoe Place was founded in 1940 and set up on the market in by Alan Garmin in November 1972.

Alan has worked there every market day since, running the family business on Market Plaza and selling anything up to 100 pairs of shoes each week for 50 years.

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Alan, like all traders, loves working on the market, he affectionately refers to his trader colleagues as his ‘market family’.

“I love the bad weather, Alan said, “I sell more boots in the winter!”

As long as his health permits, Alan has no plans to retire and will carry on working for as long as he can.

Likewise, Chadwick’s Original Black Puddings has a long history at the market. It was established in 1865 before it was bought by Edwin Chadwick in 1972.

It is now owned by Edwin’s daughter Mary Sinacola, who started working at the stall when she was still at school.

Mary says business at the market is still going strong, even after all these years and hopes to continue working for as long as she can.

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She said: “[The Market] has changed quite a bit, I think it’s got more popular.

“There’s a lot of people who come from out of town to the market now, more than they used to, it was all local when I first started.

“I started here when I was still at school, it was my dad’s stall and its just carried on with family tradition.

“I have no intention of retiring.”

Despite the current cost-of-living challenges, Mary says business remains strong as people continue to shop locally.

She said: “It’s absolutely booming on Bury Market, it's just got better, it's better than before the pandemic.

“People are just wanting to come to the market.”

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Cllr Charlotte Morris, cabinet member for culture and the economy at the council, said: “This is why so many people from across the country visit Bury Market – for the quality, the bargains, and to meet traders like Mary and Alan for that authentic market atmosphere.

“Whether it’s 1972 or 2022, you’ll always find that on Bury Market – and we’ve major regeneration plans to keep the market flourishing for many decades to come.”