“It’s usually £30 lad but for you, I’ll do £20.”
Despite staring at a white cardboard sign that clearly promised all jumpers were twenty pounds, I had to respect the hustle of the older gentleman.
He crept up behind me when I was inspecting a charcoal grey Carhartt number that had caught my eye. It retails for around £90 on ASOS and I particularly liked the way the neckline wasn’t too baggy - meaning I wouldn’t have to wear an extra layer underneath to cover up.
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It was my first of several buys at Greatie Market. Located on Great Homer Street, I’m told it's a Liverpool rite of passage and one I can now tick off my list after visiting over the sunny weekend.
For more than 180 years, the Aladdin’s cave for bargain hunters has remained at the heart of the city, even after several changes. It runs every Saturday with hundreds of stallholders making it what it is and offering a wide variety of products: fruit and veg, meats, cakes, flowers, crafts and clothing.
I arrived just shortly after noon and made a handful of rookie mistakes. The first was that I missed the early morning deals, and the second being I was a “moocher”.
I was there to browse and take it all in, however, it was abundantly clear others knew exactly where they were going and what for - regulars if you will.
Probably the most painstaking mistake was I only brought Apple Pay with me - meaning I waited 20 minutes to have my eyebrows threaded just to be “cash, only sorry”.
The idea of Greatie Market doesn’t initially appeal to me. The narrow aisles between large stalls and parents with prams determined to get what they need fills me with dread for my ankles and shoes.
Despite this, I was pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed by how welcoming the community was - even to someone like myself, who, no doubt, at times looked like a deer in headlights.
The magic behind the market is one you would expect from a venue filled with born-and-bred Scousers and characters from the Merseyside region.
When I arrived home, my flatmate, Meghan, struggled to guess where I had been and I don’t blame her. Emptying my thin black bag of goodies onto her bed, I had come away with multiple items that did not correlate with each other.
I snagged some Spanish cleaning products, 100 bin bags for £5, a classic Florence and the Machine record and of course, my new designer jumper.
I could have easily gone to TK Maxx or Home Bargains and rummaged through the aisles for similar items, but would I have received the same reception is something I seriously doubt.
