European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Open  shopping with an old time flavor Kim Stopher has been working at a Market stall in Cambridge since he was 9 years old. Is amps Meridith Winder by Meridith Winder . Bureau to Market to Market to Hoy a fat pig Home again Home again Page to  seems like a silly Little Nursery rhyme but it does help illustrate what people once went through when they went shopping for food. There were none of those. Supermarkets that now litter the landscape and where you can get just about anything you want if someone wanted meat it was off to the marketplace usually near the town Square find a Butcher and either buy the whole pig or cow and take it Home or have the Butcher Slaughter and dress the meat. If shoppers wanted fruits and vegetables they d go to Market and buy directly from the Farmer. In Britain those Days Aren t gone completely even in cities. On almost any Given Day you can still find open air markets with vendors hawking their wares and an abundance of All types of fresh food. One such Vendor is 28-year-old Kim Stopher who Sells fresh fruits and vegetables from a stall in the Market in the Center of Cambridge England a about 35 Miles from Raf Mildenhall Quot i used to have to set up the stall before going to school Quot said Stopher who has been working his stall since he was 9 years old. And unless we were on. Holiday vacation never had a saturday  the stall has been operated by his family since the end of world War ii when his father established it. No one seems certain How Long the Market has been there but Many markets Date Back to before the 12th Century. While supermarkets have everything under one roof the stalls of the Pomair Market specialize in certain foods. Some vendors sell co floes and teas. Others sell just seafood while some stick to pet foods and supplies. Stopher s family deals in fruits and vegetables. Much of the produce used to come from the family farm.  a a a but we started purchasing our Stock directly from the Farmers at the wholesales markets Quot Stoper said. Quot we did t have time for the farm and to run the  a a a Stopher is  of the business. He went into a partnership with his parents when he was 16 years old and then took Over the business at 19. His parents Are retired. A he said that Many of the stalls at the markets. Throughout the country get their Stock at wholesalers markets. The markets arc located at various places for fruits and vegetables the  normally at spi Tafield in East London. Stopher said that the Days of the smaller vendors May be numbered they Are facing Stift Competition from supermarkets when it comes to buying Stock. Quot it s getting harder to maintain the stalls because of the supermarkets Quot he said. Quot some of the big supermarkets Wilt buy the items rejected by the larger vendors. There s nothing wrong with them except for being a Little too Ripe or slightly bruised. The super markets can get rid of them Quick without a loss since they Deal with High . Despite some of the problems Stopher maintains a steady business because Many of his clients Are from the colleges in  unfortunately that can be strictly seasonal since a Many of the students leave the area during school Breaks Quot he said. Quot also people Don t come into the City centers like they used  although there Are a couple of military bases in the area Stopher and some of the other vendors Don t get a Many americans. Quot the parking is just too expensive and they do most of their shopping on base Quot Stopher said Quot we can t compete with that Quot but for those people interested in the personal touch and a taste of the Way shopping once was the open air markets in Britain May be just the  a a a a a a a a a. A amps Meridith window u. Is w Heads attached hang above a Butcher s stall in Brixton. Stripes Magazine june 13, 1991