Market traders believe things are returning to 'normal' after seeing more faces return to Fakenham.
Thursday is market day in the town, shutting down Market Place and Bridge Street for traffic as a variety of traders take to the street to offer locals and visitors the very best of Norfolk goods.
The market has endured through the last 14 months, from being completely closed in March 2020, before reopening in the summer and then reducing the number of stalls to ensure social distancing.
The market welcomed back more traders on April 12, when the country hit the first stop on the road map out of lockdown.
Tony Fields runs Tony’s Discount Stall and he believes things are looking up.
“It’s been good, really nice to see everyone out and about and seeing people we haven’t seen for over a year,” he said.
“It is starting to feel just like the old days.
“I would say it's the busiest it's been, there have been more people today than we have had for a long while, the ones who travelled are here as well.
“Everyone is coming back, and everything is starting to go back to normal. I have got a really good feeling about it.”
William Weston, also known as Willie, is the owner of WJ Shellfish. Mr Weston is well known in the town for his quality fresh fish.
He has been running a delivery service through the lockdowns but said these people are starting to visit him again.
“It’s been so nice seeing faces coming back out and seeing people here,” he said.
“We are starting to see people that we delivered to are now turning up at the market.
“We feel a lot better to see them, and we think it is the start of the end, we hope. It feels more like it did before all of this.”
Aaron Christie, owner of Son of Christie Cheesemonger, traded through the last lockdown, he said that an increase in people does not mean an increase in money.
“There is definitely more browsers about, I was here during the last lockdown and that was more of a military operation, but more browsers don’t necessarily mean more money,” he said.
“There is more of a buzz and it’s starting to feel like it did before Covid.
“It gives us hope for the future.”
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