Heritage Market

The Heritage Market occupies a dilapidated tobacco warehouse in the old commercial hub of Liverpool. It’s just minutes away from the shiny new Liverpool One shopping centre, on Commercial Road, which runs all the way through north Liverpool.
Prior to Thatcher’s rule, this was a thriving and bustling area employing thousands of people, the lifeblood of this great city. Now it’s ramshackle with most of the docks deserted, but still incredibly interesting to see. I can run riot with my Canon.
It may be billed as the Camden of the north but lacks the international flavour of its London ‘counterpart’. There is a small food court but unless you fancy burger, chips, or a kebab you’re struggling for choice. It’s more greasy spoon than full-​flavoured market, something you could never say about Camden.
The stalls rarely change, from brick-​a-​brack to household goods to clothes. Once you’ve been there’s no need to go back for a month or so, but it’s worth a visit every now and again.

At one time, the Sunday Market was a rather unpleasant grubby place to pick up some cheap fake designer gear and maybe a couple of copied CDs. It wasn’t the most appealing shopping trip and the few times we went heralded few enjoyed purchases. However more recently the Heritage Market has undergone some transformations and is fast becoming one of the biggest tourist attractions in the North West; quite an achievement for an old abandoned tobacco warehouse! Besides the 150 indoor stores, there’s a refurbished food courtlier entertainment and there’s even a hairdressers and a barbers. You can pick up all sorts here: ladies and gents fashion, furniture and household goods, handmade jewellery…
I’d recommend it even just for a browse there’s plenty of parking or the nearest train station is probably Sandhills, although there is a free bus to the market from Lime Street Station which runs every 15 minutes on market days

Heritage Market is set amongst old fashioned warehouses in an industrial part of Liverpool, not too far from the Docks. The market has been around for decades and I recall that the last time I visited, was approximately 14 years ago when I bought a cheap magic set. I think after you’ve read this though, you’ll understand why I haven’t been back.
I’ve awarded one star for its variety of stalls and another for its unique setting (which may appeal to some) but for me, neither are appealing. The whole indoor/​outdoor environment feels dull, dated and unappetising. As for the type of stuff on offer, the previous review accurately sums it up.
If you visit on a winter’s day, it just adds to the gloominess. So whatever you do, make sure you visit on a pleasant summer’s day (if you have to); it’ll help brighten up the aspect!

The first section looks like a car boot sale, but battle through it to reveal quite a large Market with a wide selection of professional goods. Keep your eyes peeled for extra areas as it’s easy to miss whole sections of the Market.
You will either love the charm of this old building, or think it’s a bit of a dump.
All of the traders we chatted with were real characters and very approachable and friendly.
We made a special visit to this venue and were dissapointed, hoping it would be better. If you are in the area on a Sunday then it’s worth dropping in… Both the entry and parking are free; but you will be done within 30 mins to an hour, so plan something else to do afterwards.

The Heritage Market has been around for years and years, and although many people swear by the fact that you can find bargains and treasures here you won’t find anywhere else, I have to say that I am not a fan.
To be fair, my only experience of the Heritage Market was on a bitterly freezing cold, damp February day when I was sharing a stall with one of my friends. Attempting to sell beautifully handcrafted, one-​of-​a-​kind items in such a place was a mistake. Thankfully we did not pay for our table that day, as we had a freebie from an organization that was trying to fill up the room and breathe new life into this dark, musty tomb.
So, what does actually sell here? Cheap sneakers, T-​shirts, knockoff toys, ugly watches, and just about everything else you can think of that you really don’t need or want, but that you might be tempted to buy anyway if you’re sucked into this scary little world.
Apparently there is also a large food court, but as I only walked passed it and did not eat anything, I can’t vouch for the quality. (Being there to sell, buying food would have kind of defeated the purpose.)
I caught a really bad cold after standing at my stall for six hours, and every other customer who came in said that it was colder inside than it was outside on the streets.
Don’t get me wrong, I hear shopping and selling at the Heritage Market is a lot more fun in the summer months. However, my experience of the market in February was so poor that I don’t really intend to give it that second chance.
If you have had a good experience of this market, I’d be curious to know what made it better for you. While I’m vindictive when it comes to warehouses that cause me severe illness, I’m not entirely unforgiving …