I point at a man passing by and ask for a jacket like his. The coat-man looks him up and down, walks to his desk and fetches his glasses, then continues down the street, following the unwitting model. The coat-man spends time fitting me, adjusting and reviewing each possibility. He refuses to sell the coat that is slightly too big, “too drafty, it’ll be colder than no coat at’all”. Grey, blue, black, his meticulous dawdling is terrific and completely unaware of the time moving quickly around us. He smiles and shakes my hand as I wander away—empty handed.
I walk towards music pouring out of vinyl-crackling speakers. Dancing through the food stalls, I stumble on Indian too enticing to move away from. The Tandoori chicken splits apart with a plastic spoon. Shops crowd along the street. Cobblestones click as feet drag and shuffle. The market stands snake along the road, winding up towards Notting Hill. The Cashpoint at the top has the minimum withdrawal of 200. The maximum is 800. The Porsches and Rolls Royces peering down the road see antiques, old books, food, vinyl. But the top of the road is far from the affordable goods at the base.
Big Red Tent Vinyl Cafe sits at the bottom of the hill. The food is organic and purchased at the market, the vibe is colorful and authentic to match the street. On weekends, the records spill onto the street to be sold by the owner of the cafe. The same man who was perusing the vinyl stands at Brick Lane Market, where I met him the day before. In life and in his coffee shop, music only flows from a record. He leaps to action when asked for Janis Joplin. Producing the wrong record, he promises to have a copy of Pearl in two weeks—it’s being shipped from Austria.
Somewhere above, planes carrying Amazon-bought goods shoot through the air. Delivering bits and pieces to the doorsteps of the fast living. The coat-man and record-man move through their time-zones aware, but unperturbed. When I asked for cassette tapes, I was met with a shaking head, “I would if I could, but there’s just no market.”
- Sam Normington
Portobello Market in West London is a popular destination for both Londoners and tourists that come to life, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays. If shopping for unique or vintage items is a favored pastime, then no trip to London would be complete without stopping at Portobello. However, the market also has the occasional souvenir stand, enticing tourists to spend their money on snow globes, T-shirts, and bobbleheads. In addition to the many antique dealers, Portobello is recognized for its diversity of food vendors. World cuisine is offered here, including Polish pierogis, Korean noodle bowls, and Cuban pork sandwiches. As for its location, Portobello is primarily situated on Portobello Road, yet it does branch out on to Golborne Road and Cambridge Gardens.
Portobello is a fascinating local market that is tucked away from the more business-oriented district of the city. It is divided into several sections, each offering a variety of items. The first portion of the market is mainly occupied by antique stalls and permanent knick-knack shops. A shopper is likely to find all types of oddities here, from vintage fashions and accessories to old maps, books, toys, and furniture.
Underneath of the causeway, a shopper will find multiple stands selling modern and vintage clothing. One vendor was selling an array of African style headbands and women’s clothing. She also had an assortment of authentic necklaces, beaded bracelets, and sandals. Located next to her stall, was a young man selling his artwork. He hand-painted all of his pieces, many taking his hours to finish. The artist explained that he was inspired by the local scene and culture of London, so he decided to paint pictures of telephone booths, park scenes, and Big Ben.
Completing Portobello Market is a long strip of food vendors that line both sides of the street. While some may choose to eat before shopping, it is wise to wait until after browsing most of the market In order to avoid crowds and lines. However, the pathway between the food stands is narrow so arriving early to take a sneak peek at each of the vendors might be the best course of action. Because Portobello is an outdoor market packed with pedestrians in every nook and cranny, there is not any seating available to enjoy the purchased meal. If the consumer is tired and has sore, achy feet after a long day of perusing what Portobello has to offer, then leaving the market in order to find a comfortable seating arrangement may be something to consider.
Overall, Portobello is a wonderful street fair with odd antiquities, clothes, and of course, food. Whether tourist or local, Portobello definitely has something to offer everyone. The market is filled with fascinating items so be sure to book at least two hours of shopping time in order to get the full experience. If the shopper is especially interested in an item, the vendors will usually be willing to haggle the price. The atmosphere of Portobello is friendly and pleasant. Shopping there will guarantee to brighten a consumer’s day, even if the weather itself is dreary.
- Emilie Booth
Brightly colored buildings smashed together the way only London arranges itself, hundreds of stalls and restaurants open amongst the chaos. Whereas Borough feels like the market the city is proud of, Portobello is what the people are proud of. Similar to an open-air flea market in the way it's set up with open stalls packed tightly together, the biggest thing about Portobello is that it clearly takes up a large part of the neighborhood. Only happening on Saturdays and Sundays, it's clear the area works itself around the business Portobello brings. And like Borough, you can find nearly anything here. A line of food stalls invites you to pull away from the main market, almost always busy with the sizzling foods being cooked before your eyes. Like so many London markets, no two stalls that touch are ever going to be the same style. The food is cheap and quick and most importantly, good. But maybe the most important thing about Portobello is that it exemplifies what London is as a city, showing you tourists, working-class people, and people perhaps a bit more well-to-do mixing. Shopping takes priority here.
It's also a good example of what the city can be as well. The day my group went to Portobello was the day I decided to wear a kilt. Though it was obviously one, I was nervous about being a masculine person in a skirt, especially in such a heavily populated place. A few minutes into walking around and a stall owner runs over to us, nearly out of breath and a little over middle-aged, and she proceeds to compliment me on my look. We talk for a few minutes, she asks questions about the kilt and then goes back to helping a customer. It's a little moment, but it shows what kind of town London can be, and the markets are the perfect place to be for that.
- Marius Black
Saturdays are definitely the days to visit Portobello Road. Similar to Brick Lane, there’s only one day a week where you can experience this market in its true glory. On Saturdays the stalls line the street — and sometimes the sidewalk — for blocks, with each focus of the market (Antiques, “Bric-a-brac”, Food, Produce, etc.) being divided up into its own little section along the way. While one would think that this sudden uprising of stands would annoy the business owners of the area, blocking the views of their stores and persuading people towards cheaper stall-products rather than their slightly more expensive stores, such a massive crowd attends this market and the stores are so efficiently integrated that they are more than happy to welcome the sudden influx of customers.
At the top of the street is the food section, and though there may not be as many options as we see at Brick Lane or Borough Market, they do offer a similar variety, serving everything from Greek lamb wraps to Portuguese doughnuts. When you start walking down you will see all of the clothes and random accessories before slowly see the stalls transition into more “Bric-a-brac” items like artwork and trinkets. As you continue strolling down the road a few produce stalls mark the divide between the first and second halves of the market, the entire second half is almost entirely composed of antiques. And even though on most Saturdays you’re forced to walk shoulder to shoulder with — or heaven forbid, against — an enormous herd of people, its definitely a market worth taking your time to explore; so as much as you may want your neighbors to pick up the pace, take that time and make sure to get a good luck at all that lies around you.
My recommendations: Stop and listen to the “Busker” wearing a single flipper playing a toy guitar.
- Emerald Stewart
You are in Portobello Market. For perhaps the rest of your life, you shall be in Portobello Market. That morning on the way to the Tube station which may be your last, you saw a pigeon wearing a zip tie around its neck. He struts towards you, showing you the goods, and flew away, leaving you wanting more. You wonder if that was foreshadowing for the grotesquely outlandish world in which you’ve found yourself.
The stalls appear to go on into infinity. Rows and rows of vintage box cameras, comic book covers, and porcelain figures blur together in your hazy vision. Besides the stalls, small shops of military fashion and haberdashery spill out onto the sidewalk, crowding your every possible escape. You can hear traffic somewhere in the distance. Civilization must still exist, then. You do not know how many years the market has taken from you. Whether your family remembers your face. The market has taken everything from you, even your £100 note which you thought no one in the city would ever be able to give you change for.
You’re crawling now. Above you, cashmere scarves sway in an ice-grey breeze. Faintly, you raise your phone to your ear to see if someone, anyone at all can answer. If anyone from the other world could hear your screams.
A vendor sees your camera phone and launches himself over the booth. A row of vintage silver teapots falls to the floor, scattering along the pavement.
“Photographs are strictly forbidden!”
The man piledrives you into the concrete. The air exits your lungs in a single puff. Darkness, encroaching. Your eyes shut instinctively against the rushing of the void. As it swallows you up, you can’t help but smile. You have finally escaped Portobello Market.
- Kaley Whipple
I walk towards music pouring out of vinyl-crackling speakers. Dancing through the food stalls, I stumble on Indian too enticing to move away from. The Tandoori chicken splits apart with a plastic spoon. Shops crowd along the street. Cobblestones click as feet drag and shuffle. The market stands snake along the road, winding up towards Notting Hill. The Cashpoint at the top has the minimum withdrawal of 200. The maximum is 800. The Porsches and Rolls Royces peering down the road see antiques, old books, food, vinyl. But the top of the road is far from the affordable goods at the base.
Big Red Tent Vinyl Cafe sits at the bottom of the hill. The food is organic and purchased at the market, the vibe is colorful and authentic to match the street. On weekends, the records spill onto the street to be sold by the owner of the cafe. The same man who was perusing the vinyl stands at Brick Lane Market, where I met him the day before. In life and in his coffee shop, music only flows from a record. He leaps to action when asked for Janis Joplin. Producing the wrong record, he promises to have a copy of Pearl in two weeks—it’s being shipped from Austria.
Somewhere above, planes carrying Amazon-bought goods shoot through the air. Delivering bits and pieces to the doorsteps of the fast living. The coat-man and record-man move through their time-zones aware, but unperturbed. When I asked for cassette tapes, I was met with a shaking head, “I would if I could, but there’s just no market.”
- Sam Normington
Portobello Market in West London is a popular destination for both Londoners and tourists that come to life, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays. If shopping for unique or vintage items is a favored pastime, then no trip to London would be complete without stopping at Portobello. However, the market also has the occasional souvenir stand, enticing tourists to spend their money on snow globes, T-shirts, and bobbleheads. In addition to the many antique dealers, Portobello is recognized for its diversity of food vendors. World cuisine is offered here, including Polish pierogis, Korean noodle bowls, and Cuban pork sandwiches. As for its location, Portobello is primarily situated on Portobello Road, yet it does branch out on to Golborne Road and Cambridge Gardens.
Portobello is a fascinating local market that is tucked away from the more business-oriented district of the city. It is divided into several sections, each offering a variety of items. The first portion of the market is mainly occupied by antique stalls and permanent knick-knack shops. A shopper is likely to find all types of oddities here, from vintage fashions and accessories to old maps, books, toys, and furniture.
Underneath of the causeway, a shopper will find multiple stands selling modern and vintage clothing. One vendor was selling an array of African style headbands and women’s clothing. She also had an assortment of authentic necklaces, beaded bracelets, and sandals. Located next to her stall, was a young man selling his artwork. He hand-painted all of his pieces, many taking his hours to finish. The artist explained that he was inspired by the local scene and culture of London, so he decided to paint pictures of telephone booths, park scenes, and Big Ben.
Completing Portobello Market is a long strip of food vendors that line both sides of the street. While some may choose to eat before shopping, it is wise to wait until after browsing most of the market In order to avoid crowds and lines. However, the pathway between the food stands is narrow so arriving early to take a sneak peek at each of the vendors might be the best course of action. Because Portobello is an outdoor market packed with pedestrians in every nook and cranny, there is not any seating available to enjoy the purchased meal. If the consumer is tired and has sore, achy feet after a long day of perusing what Portobello has to offer, then leaving the market in order to find a comfortable seating arrangement may be something to consider.
Overall, Portobello is a wonderful street fair with odd antiquities, clothes, and of course, food. Whether tourist or local, Portobello definitely has something to offer everyone. The market is filled with fascinating items so be sure to book at least two hours of shopping time in order to get the full experience. If the shopper is especially interested in an item, the vendors will usually be willing to haggle the price. The atmosphere of Portobello is friendly and pleasant. Shopping there will guarantee to brighten a consumer’s day, even if the weather itself is dreary.
- Emilie Booth
Brightly colored buildings smashed together the way only London arranges itself, hundreds of stalls and restaurants open amongst the chaos. Whereas Borough feels like the market the city is proud of, Portobello is what the people are proud of. Similar to an open-air flea market in the way it's set up with open stalls packed tightly together, the biggest thing about Portobello is that it clearly takes up a large part of the neighborhood. Only happening on Saturdays and Sundays, it's clear the area works itself around the business Portobello brings. And like Borough, you can find nearly anything here. A line of food stalls invites you to pull away from the main market, almost always busy with the sizzling foods being cooked before your eyes. Like so many London markets, no two stalls that touch are ever going to be the same style. The food is cheap and quick and most importantly, good. But maybe the most important thing about Portobello is that it exemplifies what London is as a city, showing you tourists, working-class people, and people perhaps a bit more well-to-do mixing. Shopping takes priority here.
It's also a good example of what the city can be as well. The day my group went to Portobello was the day I decided to wear a kilt. Though it was obviously one, I was nervous about being a masculine person in a skirt, especially in such a heavily populated place. A few minutes into walking around and a stall owner runs over to us, nearly out of breath and a little over middle-aged, and she proceeds to compliment me on my look. We talk for a few minutes, she asks questions about the kilt and then goes back to helping a customer. It's a little moment, but it shows what kind of town London can be, and the markets are the perfect place to be for that.
- Marius Black
Saturdays are definitely the days to visit Portobello Road. Similar to Brick Lane, there’s only one day a week where you can experience this market in its true glory. On Saturdays the stalls line the street — and sometimes the sidewalk — for blocks, with each focus of the market (Antiques, “Bric-a-brac”, Food, Produce, etc.) being divided up into its own little section along the way. While one would think that this sudden uprising of stands would annoy the business owners of the area, blocking the views of their stores and persuading people towards cheaper stall-products rather than their slightly more expensive stores, such a massive crowd attends this market and the stores are so efficiently integrated that they are more than happy to welcome the sudden influx of customers.
At the top of the street is the food section, and though there may not be as many options as we see at Brick Lane or Borough Market, they do offer a similar variety, serving everything from Greek lamb wraps to Portuguese doughnuts. When you start walking down you will see all of the clothes and random accessories before slowly see the stalls transition into more “Bric-a-brac” items like artwork and trinkets. As you continue strolling down the road a few produce stalls mark the divide between the first and second halves of the market, the entire second half is almost entirely composed of antiques. And even though on most Saturdays you’re forced to walk shoulder to shoulder with — or heaven forbid, against — an enormous herd of people, its definitely a market worth taking your time to explore; so as much as you may want your neighbors to pick up the pace, take that time and make sure to get a good luck at all that lies around you.
My recommendations: Stop and listen to the “Busker” wearing a single flipper playing a toy guitar.
- Emerald Stewart
You are in Portobello Market. For perhaps the rest of your life, you shall be in Portobello Market. That morning on the way to the Tube station which may be your last, you saw a pigeon wearing a zip tie around its neck. He struts towards you, showing you the goods, and flew away, leaving you wanting more. You wonder if that was foreshadowing for the grotesquely outlandish world in which you’ve found yourself.
The stalls appear to go on into infinity. Rows and rows of vintage box cameras, comic book covers, and porcelain figures blur together in your hazy vision. Besides the stalls, small shops of military fashion and haberdashery spill out onto the sidewalk, crowding your every possible escape. You can hear traffic somewhere in the distance. Civilization must still exist, then. You do not know how many years the market has taken from you. Whether your family remembers your face. The market has taken everything from you, even your £100 note which you thought no one in the city would ever be able to give you change for.
You’re crawling now. Above you, cashmere scarves sway in an ice-grey breeze. Faintly, you raise your phone to your ear to see if someone, anyone at all can answer. If anyone from the other world could hear your screams.
A vendor sees your camera phone and launches himself over the booth. A row of vintage silver teapots falls to the floor, scattering along the pavement.
“Photographs are strictly forbidden!”
The man piledrives you into the concrete. The air exits your lungs in a single puff. Darkness, encroaching. Your eyes shut instinctively against the rushing of the void. As it swallows you up, you can’t help but smile. You have finally escaped Portobello Market.
- Kaley Whipple