Sunday Market and Car Boot Sale

Sunday may traditionally be a day of rest but who wants a lie-in when you can make a couple of hundred quid from items otherwise destined for the bin?

Arriving at New Smithfield Market for the first time, you need to take a few moments to orientate yourself, such is the size of the place. Amidst the hustle and bustle, a butcher-cum-presenter-cum-salesman’s voice booms out on the loudspeakers attached to his van while a dutiful assistant waits below to bag the freshly sold goods. All around sales are taking place; sales on a scale to rival the Arndale on a Saturday afternoon.

“Excuse me,” I meekly ask a stall owner. “Where’s the car-boot sale?” Laughing, he tells me, “Love, we’re all car boot sales really, but if you’re looking for a sale from a car boot, walk round there.”

Walking “round there”, I find a vast strip of stalls wedged between two indoor- market areas. Never before have I seen so many different items on sale. Rusty tools, fluffy teddy bears, videos, coats, bikes, gates, pictures, televisions, games, lawnmowers, hundreds of different trinkets...

The memory of my first little car boot sale at the tender age of eight comes flooding back to me. Desperate for the new doll of the moment, I sold all my old ones and their clothes (separately to maximise profits). After what was deemed a nice little earner, jumble sales from the boot of my mum’s car in the driveway were a sure-fire way to earn some money for the new must-have. At New Smithfield, I spot a ‘professional’ stall selling talking dolls; the owner has missed a trick by selling them clothed.

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. At Steve Crossley’s car boot, I notice a woman pay £20 for an ornament I’m sure is worth half that, even minus the chips. “We tend to come here when we want to get rid of bits and bobs,” says Steve. “Today’s sales are going well.”

Further down, I spot two men stood in between enormous wrought iron gates. “Are you selling gates?” I naively ask.

Perhaps a sign of the times, they reply, “No, we’re looking for work as gate-fitters.”

The smart-arse in me retorts, “Ah, so you’re selling your labour?”

Their bemused faces stare back at me. As we scurry off, the boyfriend asks, “Why did you say that?”

“Because they are.” Well, they are.

The carbooters' motivations for holding a sale are varied. Rachel Harper and Jessica Clinton are holding a joint one. Whereas Jessica is selling her living room bric-a-brac to save her from having to haul it up to the attic when the new flooring is fitted, Rachel is getting rid of stuff her children have grown out of.

“I was gonna throw the cots and playpens in the tip, but Jessica said I should sell it,” Rachel says. Sell it they do, making a nifty joint profit of £300.

Frank Lomas, on the other hand, is something of a car boot veteran. Setting-up shop every Sunday for ten years, Frank arrives at 5.30am in aid of the RSPCA. “We sell all sorts here. This morning we even sold some floor polish,” he tells me. “On an average week we make around £140, although business has been picking up recently.”

Karen and Stefon Townrow are at Smithfield because of the “R-word”. Says Stefon: “I’ve been out of work for a week, so we thought we’d hold a car boot sale to raise a bit of money.”

They may not be Alan Sugar, but in these recession-blighted months, the Townrows have the business acumen to have spotted the perfect way to make a nice little tax-free earner.

Providing you’re prepared to forfeit your day of rest, you’re almost certain to make a profit playing carbooter for the day. A good mix of car boots and ‘professional’ stalls means shoppers go with the intention to spend not to window shop. And there really is something for everyone at New Smithfield Market – even my critical (some say snobbish) tastes are catered for.

Sunday Market and Car Boot, New Smithfield Wholesale Market, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. Every Sunday, 6am until 2pm for traders, 7am until 2pm for customers. Click here to find out more.