Wigan Album

Although I missed the Old Market Hall, I quite liked the "new" one in 1988. It started off well. There used to be a stall called "Just Entertainments" whose music choice was brilliant, and suited all ages, and I bought quite a few films from there as well that I couldn't get anywhere else.. One day the stall-holder came into Boots and told me they were leaving because the rent had been put up YET AGAIN and he couldn't afford to stay.....sadly, they weren't the only ones and over the years others were forced to follow suit and we have ended up with the soul-less, almost empty cavern we have today. Did the council not have the sense to see that smaller, fairer rents would have kept the stalls open , and therefore kept the shoppers shopping? The bulldozers that have knocked The Galleries down and will eventually knock The Market Hall down are only machines....it is Greed that has sounded their death-knell. And where are all the amenities we were promised on the "Exciting New Modern Wigan" signs? What have we to show for it?....Nowt! And not even a word of explanation.

Just Entertainments shop wasn't selling stuff that the public wanted.

Each to his/her own. I bought a lot of stuff from Just Entertainments. But I'm not only talking about that stall....I was just pointing out that they were one of the first to leave due to high rents. I was sad to see all the butchers stalls gradually go, and they DID sell what the public wanted....there is only the pork butchers now, and only one fruit and veg stall.

Talking about butchers stalls, does anyone remember there being fish stalls in a separate part of the New Market Hall? The New Market Hall really did cater for everything back then.

I used to have my hair cut at Snips who originally had a small unit tucked away in the corner of the New Market Hall (Ian & Barry the barbers eventually moved onto the first floor of the Galleries close to the lifts) in the 90s.

I do remember being sat outside Snips watching the world go by and remembering how busy and bustling it was. Sadly, you cannot say that now!!!!

CJ

Yes, CJAlan, I remember the fish market. You could enter it directly from The Market Square or you could access it from the inside of The Market Hall through a revolving door and then down some damp stone steps. My Mam used to but mussels and cockles which were measured out in a metal container, (I think it was called a "mullinger"), and they were then put into paper bags. It was always rather damp and dark in the fish market. I'm sure you also recall that there was a fruit market separate to the Market Hall proper as well....you accessed it through doors that were underneath the big Bull's Head that used to be hung on the wall by the butchers' counters.

Irene, you are correct in how you describe Just Entertainments, his stock of CDs and DVDs was superb and surely catered for all tastes, except one.
He was supposedly going to trade online under the same name, but I never came across anything online like the market stall he had.

Irene,just for curiosity..have you any idea where the bulls head finished up.

I can’t quite recall Just Entertainments in the market. I do recall that when I was in my teens in the 90s there were quite a few decent record shops in the town centre. There was Our Price in the Galleries at the bottom of the escalators, then there was an Andy’s Records in the arcade where Next used to be on Market Place. I also recall Music Zone outside the rear doors of the indoor market (where I bought Michael Jackson’s History album), and let’s not forget Smiths on Mesnes Street and John Menzies on Standishgate both had good music collections at one time before the two shops had a change around. There was also another quite decent record store that opened on Standishgate directly opposite where Primark is now, but it wasn’t open that long (I can’t recall it’s name though).

The one opposite Primark was called Omega Records in the 90s. I rated it 2nd after Music Zone! Got my Verve tickets there too in 98.