THE man selling from the marquee at the Town Markets spoke today of his sadness at being caught in the middle of a developing row. Nick Martel’s Avant Garden furnishings business could have gone under after the premises he rented in Valnord Hill, off Victoria Road, were destroyed in fire in May last year.
Since then he has struggled to find new premises. He hoped that the Markets would provide a short-term answer, but the new shop seems to have upset many.
‘I have never been in a controversial situation like this before,’ he said.
‘There will always be critics and moaners. I do not wish to offend anyone and am doing my utmost to secure a permanent home for Avant Garden.’
Mr Martel is operating from the Markets plaza in a hired marquee. He has a one-month rolling deal with developer McAulay, agreed after he approached the company. There was talk about having a temporary stall at the planned open market sessions and the idea grew from there.
Mr Martel said that the authorities had been approached about the marquee being on site. He was unlikely to stay for too long.
‘It’s a good shop and a lot of work has gone into it,’ he said. ‘My costs, with security and hire, are extremely high.’
Article posted on 2nd June, 2007 - 12.00am
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