Granby Street Market in Toxteth, Liverpool, has returned to full operation after a six-month hiatus, now described as a "hive of activity" by volunteers. The market, held on the first Saturday of every month except January from 10am to 3pm, reopened gradually on March 7, 2026, with a limited number of stallholders and is now operating at full capacity.
Market Closure and Reopening
In September 2025, organisers announced on Facebook that the market would remain closed until March 2026 to "focus and improve" policies and procedures and recruit more volunteers. The market, which has been a community staple for over a decade, began as a summer community market and moved to Granby Street in 2016 as part of the area's regeneration.
Deb Underhill, 49, from Toxteth, who sold handmade jewellery at the market for years before taking on a volunteer leadership role, told the Liverpool Echo: "The market was started in 2010 by a few local residents who started putting tables out on Cairns Street mainly as an act of defiance because the area had gone through a period of decline. It started as a way to bring the neighbours together and show everyone that the area was alive and thriving."
Community Hub and Diverse Offerings
Since the temporary closure, a new team of volunteers has taken over running the market. Underhill said: "The market is such a community hub and everybody comes out and has a nice time. Even if it's raining or windy, everyone is smiling and chatting while they browse and it's such a beautiful thing to see. It's a hive of activity."
The market attracts not only local residents but also visitors from across the country. Underhill noted: "It's not only well supported by local people and we have people who drive from all over just to come and see it. A couple of months ago we had someone who came all the way from Sheffield."
Up to 80 traders participate, selling items ranging from art and vinyl records to home décor and bric-a-brac. The food selection is particularly diverse, representing multiple cultures. Underhill highlighted: "We have so many cultures represented in just our food selection. We have Caribbean, Pakistani, Somali, Peruvian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Italian, Nigerian and Malaysian food traders so we've basically got the whole world represented."
Supporting Local Businesses and Community Spirit
The market's primary aim is to support small local businesses. Underhill said: "The main aim of the market is to support small local businesses so I try to make sure we have a wide range of things people are selling to give everyone the best opportunity to make some money and further their business." She added that few changes were made upon reopening, as the team kept the same regular traders and updated only policies and procedures.
Alongside the market, the Granby Winter Garden is another community project run by local volunteers. Opened in March 2019, the garden was designed and planted by gardener in residence Andrea Ku. The space, owned by the Granby Four Streets Community Land Trust, functions as both an indoor garden and activity hub, offering weekly drop-in sessions on Mondays from 2-5pm and Sundays from 12-5pm.
Underhill, who moved to Toxteth in 2016, expressed her appreciation for the community: "The community is absolutely amazing and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else because the neighbourhood is so welcoming and inviting. I lived in Garston before and I didn't even know my neighbours so living here is so different and it's such a thriving, lovely community that I've not seen anywhere else."
She concluded: "As a market we really value being community first and one of the things we really pride ourselves on is diversity and inclusion. We welcome everyone in and enjoy every single minute of it. I think the market shows how resilient we are as an area and as people because we're not going to let anything get us down."
