Inside Salad Days Market: How a Curated London Marketplace is Championing Small Businesses and Creativity
- Snazz the Edit
- Sep 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 2
Founders of Salad Days (Liv & Daisy) share how their London markets spotlight makers, foster community, and give independent businesses the stage they deserve.
Since 2019, Salad Days Market has become a must-visit destination for Londoners seeking trend-driven, handcrafted products from small businesses and independent creatives. What started as a local idea, to create the kind of market its founders wanted to shop at themselves, has now grown into a series of curated events across iconic venues like Selfridges, Battersea Power Station, and their much-loved community hub at Gipsy Hill Brewery Taproom.
Known for its excellent curation, Salad Days celebrates makers who put modern twists on traditional crafts, while giving customers the chance to shop consciously and support original, creative talent. In this interview with Snazz the Edit, the founders share what makes their markets unique, advice for creatives just starting out, and what’s next for their growing marketplace.
What Inspired the Creation of Salad Days Market and When Did You Start Championing Small Businesses?
Salad Days is a real life market place in London where customers can shop the very best small businesses more easily and more often. We focus on curating small businesses and makers who celebrate traditional crafts in contemporary and exciting ways. We're not the biggest market out there but we're known for our excellent curation. We started Salad Days Market in 2019 because we wanted a place in South London, local to where we live, that we could shop the sort of trend driven products from small businesses that we personally wanted to buy. We didn't see the sort of events out there that we wanted to go to, so we created out own!
Which Market Has Been a Favourite and What Makes Salad Days Unique?
While we're really proud to host markets in some iconic London institutes, like Selfridges and Battersea Power Station, our favourite markets are our Summer markets at Gipsy Hill Brewery Taproom in South London. These are our local events, for our local crowd! Everyone comes down to shop the market, have a few pints in the sunshine and enjoy street food. It's always a really fun day that our friends and family come to visit us at, and these days always feel like they have community at the heart of them, which is important to us.
What Advice Do You Have for Creatives Starting Their Own Business?
Work on making your products look really exciting in excellent quality video and image content. Marketing on social media is the biggest free tool at your disposal, so make the most of it!
How Can Creative Businesses Apply to Be Part of Salad Days?
We always look to work with exciting brands who are doing something original that we haven't seen before, or something that's trend driven as we know our customers are always inspired by what's on trend. Ultimately we just want to feel really excited about the businesses we work with, so we can get our audience excited about them too! We always love to welcome new brands to our lineup, so if someone wanted to apply to take part the best thing for them to do is sign up to our email newsletter, they'll be the first to hear when applications are open. Brands should keep an application short and sweet, hitting key highlights about their business telling us what their bestseller is or any recent business successes. We always love to have special, exclusive and personalised items at the market too so if they're able to do any of those things they should definitely let us know.
What Exciting Events and Markets Are Coming Up for Salad Days?
Discover Salad Days’ sample sales and markets happening all year. Shop small businesses with great discounts - view upcoming events here.
Which Small Businesses Deserve a Shout-Out from Salad Days?
I bought two new dresses from @lost.hearts_the.label at our recent markets and I have been SO pleased with them! Caitlin reworks fashion from preloved and vintage materials, making each piece unique and more sustainable. I've had so many compliments on both pieces whenever I've worn them. They are my new Summer staple, and as they're handmade from preloved fabric they've also helped potentially keep materials from landfill which is great. Plus as they're 100% cotton they keep me cool and wash so easily and that pleases the 34 year old in me!
The best bakes we've ever had at the market are from @mrdessertsuk so we have to give Moyin a shoutout! His cupcakes and cookies are absolutely the best (people come out for them especially) and Moyin is also just the kindest and nicest guy ever. We're always so happy to welcome Moyin, his lovely Mum and friend Josh who help at his stall, to trade at Salad Days Market. It's great people like them who make Salad Days what it is.
I have to shout out Sara from @kalei___ for creating the hottest accessory of the Summer, her new butter yellow polka dot hoops which sold out at our last market! Sara hand makes all of her jewellery herself, and she's a total babe. We're so proud and lucky to have wonderful people like her in our community. She also travels all the way from Yorkshire to trade with us which is incredible and means so much to us. Thank you Sara!
From spotlighting sustainable fashion reworks and handmade jewellery to welcoming the friendliest dessert makers in London, Salad Days Market has built more than just a place to shop, it’s built a community of makers, creatives, and conscious consumers. With upcoming events like their August Sample Sale and a reputation for curating the best small businesses, Salad Days continues to prove why independent markets are such a vital part of the UK’s creative landscape.
For anyone looking to discover new talent, shop sustainably, or even apply to trade, Salad Days Market remains one of London’s most exciting and supportive platforms for championing small businesses.