A LARGE retail emporium full of independent traders has opened in the heart of Bitterne.
The Mercantile Flea opened its doors to the public on Friday, October 22 in the former Sainsbury’s site in West End Road.
The shop is full of traders that specialise in handmade creations, vintage items, antiques and more.
The opening comes after months of preparation and renovation, but for operations manager Andy Naylor, it was worth the wait.
He said: “The Mercantile Flea has been in the making for about a year and it comes from early conversations of how we need to utilise a building of this size.
“This was a huge opportunity but such a massive task.
“We knew we wanted the emporium, but we also wanted to make it slightly smarter than some of the other emporiums around. We have a café, kitchen spaces, of which there has been a large amount of interest to use, a stage and an events space.
“There are vintage items, lots of unusual and handmade crafts, and more. We want a huge amount of variety in here.
“This is not just a place to shop, but for events too and people can come here for the day and enjoy a full day out.”
According to Andy, The Mercantile Flea is about three quarters full, with more traders set to arrive in November.
But many traders have already set up shop in the building and have been interacting with customers.
Crafty Space owner Melanie George offers craft sessions on Saturdays and Sundays at The Mercantile Flea and sells home craft kits.
She said: “During Covid I used crafts to relax, and I knew I wanted to start doing this. I teach people to craft and show that they can do something for themselves.
“I offer knitting, crochet, wreath-making, pottery painting, home craft kits and more. If you can think of it, you can probably do it here.
“Bitterne definitely needed something like this. People want to see something different in the high street.”
This thought was echoed by many customers, including friends Donna and Bonnie.
Bonnie said: “This is better than the chain shops, it’s nice to have something a bit different. I will 100 per cent come back.”
Donna added: “I definitely think Bitterne needs something like this, it’s been quite boring for years. If it was payday, I would spend a lot of money in here.”
This is only the beginning for The Mercantile Flea, with more set to arrive in the coming weeks.
Andy said: “We still have so much that we want to get open and we are still gaining interest.
“We are very happy with how we are at the moment, but there is still a lot to come, this is only a taster.
“It is lovely to have people in here. There is nowhere like this in the South East.”
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