Young entrepreneurs are finding new chances in an old trade: market stalls. As job openings become scarce, many young people are setting up shop at local markets.
Young Traders Find Success
Alex Ward, 27, runs Chilli Charva with his brother Tom, 32. They sell hot sauces across northern England. Alex loves how market stalls let them see customer reactions right away. He says it's great to meet people and get direct feedback on their products.
The brothers started Chilli Charva after years of daring each other to eat spicy food during family dinners. Their brand name, "Charva," is slang for a flashy, working-class lad from the northeast. They embrace this image at their stall, wearing black leisurewear and bucket hats.
We're a new kind of news feed.
Regular news is designed to drain you. We're a non-profit built to restore you. Every story we publish is scored for impact, progress, and hope.
Start Your News DetoxThey are part of about 30,000 market traders in the UK. Many young people are choosing market trading over university or apprenticeships.
Youth unemployment is a growing issue. In late 2025, nearly a million young people aged 16 to 24 were not working, studying, or training. This is one in eight young people and a 26% increase since before the pandemic. Also, 110,000 graduates under 30 are out of work.
Being unemployed for six to 12 months between ages 18 and 24 can cut lifetime earnings by 10%. Young people who are not employed or in education are also two to three times more likely to report poor mental health.
The National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) is helping. For the past 10 years, their Young Traders Market scheme has offered free market space to 16 to 30-year-olds. It ends with an annual competition. In 2025, Chilli Charva won the grocery category.
"The business has taken off because of the market stalls," Alex said. They get instant feedback and online subscriptions after trading in wealthier areas like Leeds.
The brothers got their business idea while backpacking in Southeast Asia in 2023. They launched at a Christmas market in December 2024. Alex still works construction to fund a professional kitchen on land his grandparents once owned. They used to run a fruit and vegetable shop in Rotherham.
Joe Harrison of the NMTF calls market stalls "ideal business incubators." They let young people test ideas cheaply and visibly. They also suit those who don't do well in formal work settings. Harrison enjoys seeing shy traders gain confidence by talking to customers.
From Hobby to Business
Shanice Palmer, 31, from Croydon, found a lifeline in market trading. During the pandemic, she lost her job. She had made scented candles as a hobby and decided to apply for a stall at Greenwich Market.
She joined the NMTF scheme and won Young Market Trader of the Year in 2023 for her fragrance brand, Kurroc. This led to a six-month rent-free lease in Doncaster. She moved 200 miles north and now has a permanent stall.
Shanice says market trading is like a "live R&D lab." She tests prices and products in real time and gets new ideas. Customers suggested she launch reed diffusers, which are now a top seller. She admits it can be tough in bad weather, but the stall helped build her brand.
Jayden Roberts, 19, in the West Midlands, also started in public. He began screen printing in school and launched Purgatory Clothing at Walsall Makers Market in 2024. He felt nervous at first but then realized he should be proud of what he created and was selling. His grandfather sold watches at markets in the 1980s and 90s, so Jayden feels it's "in the blood." He plans to work on his business full-time after his studies.
Bernadette Fong, 31, in Reading, didn't plan to be a trader. She made candyfloss art as a teenager, shaping spun sugar into cartoon animals. Inspired by markets in China and South Korea, she added her own touch. While working as a physio, she tried a Christmas market in 2023.
A TikTok video of her making a candyfloss duck went viral. Now she runs Cloud Nine Candyfloss Art at markets and festivals. She also has a permanent stand near a shopping mall and is training others to expand nationwide.
Amy Bennett, 26, in Leeds, started trading when work disappeared during Covid. She was studying sustainability at university. She began baking cookies and selling them to students. Her boyfriend, Diego Espinosa, became her delivery driver. When lockdowns eased, they moved to market stalls.
They joined the NMTF young traders' scheme and traveled across Yorkshire. Amy says it taught them that customers want an "experiential retail" experience, not just a product. In 2023, they opened a Chunk Bakery shop in Leeds. They now employ 10 staff and still trade at markets. Amy sees small entrepreneurship as a way to navigate a tough job market for graduates.
While self-employment has risks like no holiday pay and unstable income, it offers a path for many. The NMTF's Joe Harrison tells young traders they might not become millionaires, but they can "make a living, and have some fun while you’re at it."
