Meet the traders keeping Baltic Market fresh, fun and alive
"Baltic Market is one big family and like being with all your mates in one place on the daily. It's boss"
Liverpool's Baltic Market has just celebrated six glorious years of trading.
Located in the heart of the Baltic Triangle, the area hosts a range of independent food and drink traders bringing some of the best Food Liverpool has to offer. On June 30, organisers and traders came together to mark their birthday by offering exclusive offers, prizes, and a weekend of disco and indie music.
Baltic Market's communication manager, Sarah McGaw, praised the continuous interest from traders who help keep the venue alive. She told the Echo: "The number of people that we've had through the door, all of these independent businesses that have served the city for the last six years, is just remarkable. When it came to the birthday weekend, that's what we wanted to push.
"More independent traders are coming in and we wanted to make them the jewel of the weekend."
Dozens of traders shot to success through the market and many more still remain to bask in the community atmosphere. Here's a look around at some of the stalls currently set up shop in the Baltic Market.
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Ryan Herr (right) is the proud owner of Little Furnace. Alongside Katya (left), they supply Baltic Market with wood-fired pizzas ranging from the classic Margherita or pepperoni to goat's cheese and oregano. Ryan told the Echo: "We were one of the original traders of the Baltic market so we've been here for the full six years. We've loved every minute of it and we look back at all the different traders and it's like a big family. It's really nice. Thank you very much."
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Patty Kunmanee (centre) wrangles the team behind Spice Thai. With their explosion of authentic favours, spices and tasty mains, Patty is confident the Baltic Market venue offers the best Thai in all of Liverpool. She told the Echo: "The menu has completely come from Thailand. We're just a small branch but we're very popular and everyone loves the food. We're happy to deliver it to everyone in the market and we're the best in the city."
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Daniel Lucock (left), alongside his colleague Lewis (right), brings Patterson's unbeatable and original range of chicken. Although there are a few venues dotted around the city, Daniel told the Echo nothing quite matches the energy in the Baltic. He said: "It's amazing having all these small businesses together. It's great because you get such a vast array of businesses coming in so for the industry, there's this whole mix of ideas and everyone's got each other's back and it's like a big family."
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Despoiua (right) runs Christaki's like the navy. With the help of Shaj (left), Baltic Market can supply authentic Greek cuisine you'd struggle to find anywhere else in the city. She told the Echo: "Everything you expect and hope for when you visit Greece on holiday is right here. We try to have the maximum quality, and professionalism, but keep the family business feeling. It's amazing."
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Lucy (left) and Livia Alacaron (right) are the dream team providing high-quality cuts of classic favourites for La Bistroteca. Livia told the Echo the opportunities Baltic Market provides can't be replicated, especially for small traders. She said: "It's just a lot more accessible and it's an easy way to start up your own business which is always great. I think that's kind of what led and helped to lead me towards opening up my own stall."
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Molly McCann (left) brought the entire team together, including Kevin (right), to ensure Polpetta's launch ran as smooth as possible. Taking her meatball nickname and running with it Meatball Molly was blown away by the support Liverpool showed her at the opening of her Italian cuisines stall. She told the Echo: "We've never seen the Baltic Market look like this on a Wednesday and this isn't just a flash in the pan. We worked so hard on this, on brand, the menu, the ingredients the taste, and we've brought the best little group of chefs together that we can find. It's really nice to know that the city has shown up to support me like this."
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Tim Haggis (centre, in grey) wrangles the Hafla Hafla team to ensure they deliver nothing but the best meats, halloumi and pittas in town. He told the Echo: "There's always loads going on in the Baltic which is amazing for trade. The community is independent and we all get along like a big family. We party and go out and just have a good time together so yeah, we've got a really great thing going on down here."
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Look no further than Richies for massive burgers, fries, nuggets and more that will leave you drooling. Anthony Ricardo, (right) told the Echo that even though the Baltic Market can be "crazy" it's the atmosphere that makes it all worthwhile. He said: "It's boss. Baltic Market is one big family and like being with all your mates in one place on the daily. It's boss."
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Joanne King (right) supplies the Baltic Market with all the sweet treats and desserts you could ask for. Revealing how the market has kept her locked in for six years, she told the Echo: "It's definitely family-orientated. You'll see big groups come in, especially Sundays, and everyone just takes it easy and relaxes for a brief moment which is really nice to be around."
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When the Echo visited, Nia Humphreys was the one-woman army supplying coffee lovers a cuppa throughout the market. She told the Echo: "It's like one big family. There's always good vibes and everyone's here to pick you up when you're down."
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