'It was a really busy market, but sadly it declined'

An indoor market that has been trading for nearly half a century will be pulling up the shutters for the last time later.

Concord Market, in Sedgley, dates back to 1976, but an announcement on the market's Facebook page last month confirmed it would be closing "due to a number of factors".

"It was a really busy market," said one customer. "But over the years it's declined, and unfortunately, now, it's closing.

"It's sad to see it go."

Jessica Southan has worked on various stalls in the market since she was 13, and now runs Butterflies card shop.

She has been looking for a new premises but is struggling to find somewhere.

"A lot of people are sad that we're going," she said. "I've had numbers off customers in case we get somewhere else, so I can ring them."

The market's resident butcher, Nathan Jones, has been a bit luckier.

"I've managed to get myself a stall inside Brierley Hill Market," he explained. "But in general, for Sedgely, it's really bad."

Mr Jones said high rent was a likely extra factor - but added that a lot of long-term stall holders had also left their businesses.

"There's that many have retired since Covid and we just couldn't get new traders in," he said.

"It was like a neverending circle. No market traders, no footfall - no footfall, no market traders.

"Hopefully, the customers will follow me to Brierley Hill."

Donna has worked at the market for a decade - running her own pet food stall for the past three years.

"It's like the end of an era for me, because it's so hard to get a shop out there now.

"I don't think the younger generation want to come into a market.

"They prefer to do it online or go to bigger places like Merry Hill or places like that, rather than come to little tiny businesses like us."

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