West Pier Market

The sun has got his hat on,
Hip hip hip hooray!
The sun has got his hat on
And he’s coming out to play.
That little ditty perhaps goes most part of the way to describing how I feel about the West Pier market. The perfect balance between touristy paintings of west pier at sunset and genuinely interesting bits and bobs, this little set of stalls has a distinctly festival feel about it. Last summer, while sauntering through the stalls on a lazy hung over afternoon, I picked up a peaked US military style hat that proved invaluable for the rest of the year. It cost me a mere five pounds and after a bit of customising with some big scissors it looked awesome. So awesome in fact that when at the end of the year I went away travelling, Unilocal’s very own Mike F took care of it for me and made it his own. No more hat for me, he looks rather good in it too.
It’s not all cheap hats and hangovers though. There’s a stall selling a brilliant selection of second hand books — ideal if that’s your thing but you don’t want to spend your summer in the dark basement bookshops of Brighton. There are also some really beautiful jewellery stalls that give the place the festival atmosphere I mentioned earlier.

I picked up a pair of emergency sunglasses on my way to the chill festival from the market last weekend. For a £5 you can’t really go wrong if you get caught out on the beach without a pair. Prior to this purchse, I wasn’t aware that the market was here. It’s a great hodge podge of stalls selling the aforementioned shades, to t-​shirts, clothes and arty bits n’ bobs.
Prices are reasonable and this is a great little place to have a wander if you are taking a stroll down the beach on the weekend. I always like the vibe of traditional markets. While this is smaller than a more established location, such as the London Road market, it still retains that face to face trading vibe. A nice little selection of wares to check out during the summer months.

Selling everything from cosy fleecy dressing gowns to batik gear Boney M might have worn in the 70s, the weekend market is full of delights. Perhaps a dozen or so stalls on an average weekend hawk sunglasses, hats, pictures of the pier in flames, necklaces, homemade jewellery and kids funky t shirts.

From March to October every year, the area directly infront of the West Pier becomes a hive of activity as street traders set up a selection of street stalls selling everything from sunglasses, hats and CDs to sustainable fashion garments. Arts and crafts lovers should note, there’s usually a couple of stalls selling ceramics, photographs and canvases too, though my personal tip is to check out the different jewellery stalls. I’ve picked up some lovely rings and bracelets here over the years.
Tourists should note, the market is open weekends and bank holidays only from March to early June but usually runs seven days a week throughout the summer holiday season. The fact it’s open air and there’s no electronics, means it’s cash only and everything is sold-​as-​seen. Happy browsing!