Businesses at the Dundas Indoor Market in Middlesbrough are gearing up for the busiest time of the shopping year.
With Halloween out of the way, traders are now focusing on the run up to Christmas with shops at the market providing customers with a diverse choice of ideas for presents.
Mark McNaughton opened The Alt Box at Dundas in June, selling T-shirts celebrating rock history’s most popular acts.
He is now moving to a bigger unit and increasing his range to cover 60 bands and acts, from The Beatles to Black Veil Brides.
His sizes – small to XL – fit younger fans as well as the seasoned gig goers who might have enjoyed too many festival burgers at rock festivals.
“Wearing a T-shirt of your favourite band is a bit like wearing a football shirt of the team you support – but a lot cheaper,” said Mark.
His big sellers at the moment are Slipknot and Queen: “Slipknot have just released a new album and the Bohemian Rhapsody film has created a new generation of Queen fans. Green Day are coming to the UK next year so a T-shirt is an ideal Christmas present for anybody going to one of their gigs.”
Another business, familiar to Dundas shoppers, has returned to the indoor market. S.K. Designs, which sells women’s clothes, will open until the end of the year.
Meanwhile the Hellraisers Halloween shop has been transformed. After a successful October, owner Shaun Wilson has decided to stay at Dundas and open a Christmas shop selling decorations, wrapping paper and sweets.
“We’re in a really good spot here and Halloween went so well it made sense to keep it,” said Alan Oliver who works in the shop.
Dundas Indoor Market Manager David Harris said the flexibility he is able to offer benefits both traders and customers: “We’re really happy to have seasonal pop up shops alongside our long-term businesses. For our many loyal shoppers it means there is always something new here.
“We’re a half-way house between a shopping centre and a market. Unlike most shopping centres, we’re able to provide the right size space for the right amount of time and – particularly at this time of year – being under a roof we have the advantage over outdoor markets.”
The Dundas Indoor Market offers an attractive range of incentives for local traders interested in moving there.
