the essential
This Saturday, June 29, the traders and the town hall inaugurated the hall counter, a friendly space where you can taste the products found in the Castres covered market.
The Albinque covered market was lively this Saturday lunchtime. There were indeed people there for the inauguration of the hall counter, a new “gourmet” space where customers can consume the merchants’ products.
In this box made available by the town hall and nicely decorated located in the middle of the hall, standing tables are installed on Saturday and Sunday until 2 p.m. In addition to being able to taste your purchases there, special cards for this space are offered by merchants.
“We want to bring life to the hall”
“It’s a request from traders. It’s in the air. It’s developing in all the covered markets,” confides Catherine Colombié-Desplats, municipal councillor in charge of non-sedentary trade, crafts and entertainment. “We want to bring life to the covered market, create moments of sharing, entertainment,” explains Lola Sire, who wanted to create this common space since she opened her grocery store and delicatessen called Basta in the heart of the covered market a year and a half ago, with Italian specialities in particular. The trader was the driving force behind this initiative and had no trouble getting several of her colleagues on board.
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“We want to bring life under the market hall”: the Albinque covered market becomes gourmet with the creation of a space to be able to consume on site
For the moment, seven traders, out of the dozen in the covered market, have signed up to this concept. La Ferme de Las Cases, Chez Chantal primeur, la fromagerie des halles, la maison Julier, Le bistrot des halles, La barque (new business opening in August), and of course Basta. And they don’t give up hope that others will join them.
“It really keeps you coming back.”
“We want to give new life and a new lease of life to the market hall,” explains Chantal the greengrocer. “The weekend has always been the heart of the market hall, but now we felt that it was running out of steam,” adds Théo from Basta. “We are happy to have our products tasted, so that they can be consumed on site,” confides Louise from the Ferme de Las Cases. We all get along very well, we try to make things happen.” Mathias from the Bistrot des halles obviously shares this desire to “dynamize” this place “which is beautiful and has a history.”
A “new momentum” that seems to appeal to customers. “It’s great, the idea is really nice. It’s friendly and it really encourages people to come back,” comments this Castres resident.
“This is a first step, if it works we can do the same thing outside. There is also the upper floor which can be occupied. We are waiting for proposals from the traders,” says Catherine Colombié-Desplats who can trust them to bring new ideas.
