As the Platinum Jubilee celebrations get fully underway, Oxford traders are reaping the benefits.
Yesterday – the first day of the four-day extravaganza – the city centre was bustling with visitors getting away for the bank holiday and locals doing some last minute shopping before the weekend.
In the Covered Market, traders pulled out all the stops to make the historic shopping area a hub of Jubilee festivities, with huge flags, bunting and specialist products all on display.
READ MORE: Platinum Jubilee beacon in Oxford: Where you can watch
The exceptionally busy nature of the market this weekend was clear in the fact the manager of The Garden of Oxford flower shop, who was keen to speak with the Oxford Mail, could not leave his shop as he was so inundated with customers.
This experience was echoed by Steven Morris at David Johns Butchers which experienced an “incredibly busy” day on Wednesday, with people buying meat for their parties, lunches and BBQs.
A centre piece for the market during the celebrations is a post box topper, which many tourists were keen to get a photograph with.
The knitted artwork was created by trader Jess Thomaz, who runs The Woolhound knitting shop.
Mrs Thomaz, originally from the United States, spent a month and half creating the Jubilee topper for the market.
She feels there has been an uptick in business as people are more keen to create crafts both for the Jubilee and in general, students in particular being a key customer base.
She explained: “People think [interest in knitting] goes down during the summer but no. There are all kinds of things you can make now, it is not just cardigans, it is toys and summer tops.”
Sarah Jones, manager of The Cake Shop, told the Oxford Mail the shop stocked a lot of decorations for the Jubilee but “sold out pretty quickly”.
The number of street parties and private events happening in Oxford also resulted in weeks-worth of pre-orders for shop.
Alongside this, a high volume of walk-in purchases also mean the team is having to restock their special Jubilee cakes every day because they are selling out so quickly.
READ MORE: Platinum Jubilee: The events happening in Oxford
Ms Jones said: “I am so proud of all the girls with the Jubilee window cakes. These girls can make wonders with fondant, I do not know how they do it.”
Verity Hoper, a member of the Covered Market’s social media and events team, said the response to the work of the traders has been “absolutely wonderful”.
“Normally the public are looking up at the beautiful roof but now they are walking, really full of wonder, at the market coming alive and in colour,” she added.
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This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.
You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry
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