0:00:03 > 0:00:05Built in the heart of the city,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Swansea Market is Wales' largest indoor market.
0:00:08 > 0:00:09There you are. £16.82.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13That's fantastic. Thank you very much indeed.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Every day, more than 700 people
0:00:16 > 0:00:18compete alongside each other for business.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Get your chestnuts and your satsumas!
0:00:20 > 0:00:24- Cockles!- Come and get your fishies!
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Their stalls will trade with the communities of modern Wales...
0:00:28 > 0:00:30£4.79, £4.00 to you.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32We'll think about it. Leave it here first.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Yeah, we'll think about it.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36..and service its oldest institutions.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40First time I've ever shook hands with royalty.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43In the grip of a recession, this is the one place
0:00:43 > 0:00:47where a small idea can still turn into a big profit.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51The total business turnover is forecast to be just over £5 million.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54But the way we shop is changing.
0:00:54 > 0:01:00City centres are losing business to large supermarkets and retail parks.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03I've never seen it as tough as it is now.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05You're destroying the livelihood of 700 people
0:01:05 > 0:01:07if you destroy Swansea Market.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10So, how can it be right? How can it be right for the country?
0:01:10 > 0:01:14The market has to pull together as a unit, as a team, I guess.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Filmed over the busiest period of the market's year...
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Gotcha!
0:01:23 > 0:01:27..this series explores the fortunes and fates of the city's traders,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31as they try and keep their business dreams alive.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32Three minutes late.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34You know, Paul, it's not good enough, is it, son?
0:01:34 > 0:01:38You've just got to pray somebody wants what we've got, basically.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40That's all we can do.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Well, look! Look at all these lovely happy people.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45You don't get that in Tesco's.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09MUSIC BLASTS
0:02:09 > 0:02:12# Well, it's Christmas time, pretty little baby
0:02:12 > 0:02:15# And the snow is on the ground
0:02:17 > 0:02:21# I said, it's Christmas time, pretty little baby
0:02:21 > 0:02:24# And the snow is on the ground... #
0:02:24 > 0:02:26The Christmas season has arrived in Swansea.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29# ..You'd better be good, baby
0:02:29 > 0:02:33# For Santa is back in town... #
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Over the next three weeks,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39market traders will experience their busiest period in the year,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43as tens of thousands of shoppers descend on the city centre.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48# ..Oh, it's Christmas time, pretty little baby
0:02:48 > 0:02:50# And the snow is on the ground
0:02:51 > 0:02:53# Oh, yeah
0:02:53 > 0:02:55# Christmas
0:02:55 > 0:02:56# Christmas
0:02:56 > 0:02:57# Christmas
0:02:57 > 0:02:58# Christmas
0:02:58 > 0:03:00# Christmas
0:03:00 > 0:03:01# Christmas
0:03:02 > 0:03:04# Oh, yeah. #
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Merry Christmas.
0:03:12 > 0:03:1382. OK?
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- Can I help you at all, guys? - No, love.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Lovely lobsters. You're all right, they are only for Christmas,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22not like puppies. You're all right.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25As the Christmas season begins,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27new products are entering the market.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29This one now is a Christmas one.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31This is Santa's sausage, this is.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36For a canny businessman, the festive season is also the perfect time
0:03:36 > 0:03:39to open a stall and benefit from the bustling aisles.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46At the far end of the market, the shutters of UBeautyU
0:03:46 > 0:03:48are raising for the first time.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51And a new business is beginning for discount perfume vendors
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Edward and Sarah Lewis.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Basically, when places like L'Oreal or Procter & Gamble,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03when they make too much of something or something comes out of fashion,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06they want to get rid of it straightaway.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09And then they basically advertise on the Internet
0:04:09 > 0:04:11and then we order stock and they deliver it
0:04:11 > 0:04:13and it comes in boxes like this,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16and, er...that's how we get our stock.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19For Edward and Sarah,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22perfume is as much an obsession as it is a business.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27I've got loads, because he brings loads home for me.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31I've got nearly every one of the women's... Yeah!
0:04:31 > 0:04:35He's got... What have you got, about 500 in the house, on the shelves?
0:04:35 > 0:04:37- Nearly 600. - It's like a perfume shop.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39We've got, like, a townhouse,
0:04:39 > 0:04:44and in one of the rooms, it's, like, full of aftershaves, like...
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Yeah. It's mental.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53But UBeautyU finds itself at the mature end of Swansea Market.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Receipt's in there. Any problems, fetch it back and change it.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00It's stuck between a fashion stall for female pensioners
0:05:00 > 0:05:03and an extra-large clothing shop.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Size 54. And they go up to size 66.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11It's not prime real estate for young fashionistas.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18Um... I think the shops around us attract the older clientele.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23And the older clientele don't usually go after fragrances.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25And when they do, we've already noticed
0:05:25 > 0:05:27they're asking for older fragrances.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32We want all ages, but we want to get past the stigma,
0:05:32 > 0:05:37like, the older clients thinking, "This is for young people."
0:05:37 > 0:05:39And we're trying to persuade them it isn't,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and the young people don't even come in the market.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47- No. It's hard...- So we're trying to get both in here to buy off us.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Edward brings a decade of sales' experience to the stall,
0:05:50 > 0:05:55having dealt in everything from double glazing to discount holidays.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Anything for a beautiful lady, darling.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58I tell you what...
0:05:58 > 0:06:00You're full of it. I won't say anything else!
0:06:00 > 0:06:02You like it, though, don't you?
0:06:02 > 0:06:07- Why wouldn't you? It's nice to have a compliment.- Yeah, see!
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I'm the front man. I'm the one who has to get the customers.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11I'm the salesman, basically.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14He thinks he's working in an outdoor market.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16He'll go, "Come on, ladies!" and stuff like that
0:06:16 > 0:06:20and I'm dying, I'm, like, "I'll sit by here, on the floor."
0:06:20 > 0:06:23If you buy two fragrances, I will knock the price down
0:06:23 > 0:06:26because you're buying two, and you get two mascaras free.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- I'll have that, please. - You want that one?
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- Yeah.- What's this one called? - Sarah Jessica Parker.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34You're cute and you've got good taste.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35'I go on instinct.'
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Sometimes, it might sound silly, and sometimes, it might sound good.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Whatever I think, I'll just say and hope for the best.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Edward is not alone with his sales technique.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Every trader has their own way
0:06:50 > 0:06:53of turning the customer's browsing into buying.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57What have you got that's nice today?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Everything. I'm nice, he's nice.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Come on, get your chestnuts!
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Get your conkers! Get your satsumas!
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Get anything! Get drunk!
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Here's my friend, look.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Body of Baywatch, face of Crimewatch.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17You listen to people and you get to know about their lives
0:07:17 > 0:07:19and they get to know about yours.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20Right, what are you after?
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- One lemon, please. - A lemon? No problem.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- Cold one today, isn't it?- It is.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26I know all the good and the bad...
0:07:26 > 0:07:27and the ugly.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28SHE LAUGHS
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Thank you very much. I'll see you later.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- All right, then, love. - All the best. Ta-ra.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36- Just remember my face, all right? - I won't forget it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:37Audrey's more of a flirt than me.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- I'm not.- Yes, you are. Don't say lies.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I wouldn't say flirt, because my missus is going to watch this,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46but, er... I have a laugh and a joke with them.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50You chat them up till they chase you and then you nearly cry!
0:07:50 > 0:07:52SHE LAUGHS
0:07:52 > 0:07:55The older men are always the worst.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58We've had a lot of offers from older men, believe it or not.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59But they're all over 80.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02One even tells me he's going to take his cockles home
0:08:02 > 0:08:04and put them under the pillow and think of me.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06SHE LAUGHS
0:08:12 > 0:08:15The customer in everybody's sights is the Christmas shopper.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18And by December, they're beginning to arrive...
0:08:18 > 0:08:20by the busload.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22You're struggling there now, girls.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24- I know.- Jump on and put them underneath you.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Put them on your lap.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Every December, in the Rhondda valley,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31the ladies of Gilfach Goch dust down their trollies
0:08:31 > 0:08:35for the yearly trip to Swansea to shop till they drop.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Right, we're coming from a little place called Gilfach,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40which is a small, very small place.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Lovely community and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else,
0:08:44 > 0:08:45but there's nowhere to shop.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47It's all right for small shops,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49but then you need to go to Cardiff, to Swansea.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52This is why we come to Swansea every year to do our big Christmas shop.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Get everything we can't get anywhere else.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59There's a big lot of family on the bus.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Aunty Mo, Aunty Anne, Aunty Joan.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06They're not my aunties, it's just... we all call them aunties
0:09:06 > 0:09:09because, well, they're the aunties of the community.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14For Jodie and her friends, Jo and Karen,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17a trip to Swansea Market demands some serious equipment.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Last year, all our bags were breaking,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21they were too heavy, it was crazy.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24So we all decided to invest in these this year.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26So I've got something a bit different.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28A bit of Fifty Shades-inspired trolley!
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Right, this is the list. Cockles, coat,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40sweets for the kids, and an onion bhaji.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46They're scary. You wouldn't want to eat it.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48It looks a bit jungle for me.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Oh, that's that Paul Smith.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Oh, that's lovely!
0:09:57 > 0:09:59That Paul Smith is lovely.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- No, it's not nice after a while.- No?
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Something for everyone here.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Yeah. You've got so much choice...
0:10:13 > 0:10:16of places. This market is fab.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17What's she doing? What's she buying?
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- A coat. Another one.- Another coat?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24- We come, we go, we buy.- Yeah.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27But Karen needs to touch everything,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- buy everything, try everything. - Yeah.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Can I have, please, five pounds in money of cockles?
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- No problem.- Thanks very much.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37To eat now or wrapped?
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Oh, they're not for me to eat! Wrap them up good and proper.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42I don't touch nothing that's been in the sea, me.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- Don't you? - Thanks very much, ta very much.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- Thank you! Ta-ra!- Thank you!
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Do you want to hold my cockles?
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- They've been in the sea, Jo! - No.- Thanks.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58So I'll do turkey dinner, no piggy blanket and glass of water. Yeah?
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- Yes, please. Yeah.- Right.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Across the other side of the market, the arrival of out-of-town shoppers
0:11:04 > 0:11:06is pushing Sandy's carvery to its limit.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Two takeaway soup coming up.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Right, we got two takeaway soup, large, with rolls.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Yeah. I've got the cheese on toast.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- Hiya!- Can I have a dinner?
0:11:15 > 0:11:17A dinner.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Oh, it's nuts!
0:11:19 > 0:11:22We came in and I hadn't put my bag down
0:11:22 > 0:11:26and I had orders before we even opened the shutters.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29And it's stayed mad ever since.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32The lady in the baby stall across the way
0:11:32 > 0:11:35asked for tea and toast about two hours ago
0:11:35 > 0:11:37and only now, we're doing it.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39But she's OK, she understands.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45Sandy has also introduced her own lunchbox Christmas dinner.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48OK, we've got turkey, we've got chicken, we've got beef.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50We had pork, but it's all gone.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54We've got cabbage, we've got sprouts, carrot and broccoli mix,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57we've got parsnips, we've got mash, we've got new potato.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02Roast, peas and carrots, roast potatoes,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04cauliflower cheese, more carrots and swede.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Sometimes, people come back and say,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09"San, I didn't have a roast potato."
0:12:09 > 0:12:13So I've forgotten to put one on and then they end up having more
0:12:13 > 0:12:15because I won't just put one roast potato on a plate,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17it looks mean. So they have two or three.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Right, I'm going to cross that off, OK?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25I've got the next one coming for table four.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26There's a tea with that.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- Yeah?- So if you run that, I'll do the tea quickly.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31What's happening with the bacon and mushroom baguette?
0:12:31 > 0:12:34I think you've got to realise you're going to be busy.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39You need to be pretty, um...you know, well prepped up.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43And you've just got to try and be smiley.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45That's what I think is the most important thing,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49is being a person who's nice to the customers.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53They come up and you're nice and smiley and they think,
0:12:53 > 0:12:54"I want to come back here again.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57"I can see they're really busy, I know I had a bit of a wait,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01"but they look like they're having a real good laugh in there,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04"while they're being serious about their food."
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Sandy will serve over 150 meals on a busy day.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11And not even she can keep on top of everything.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Rob peeled all my potatoes, my back-up roast potatoes for me,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and he cut them nice and small so that they would cook quicker,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22and then we got so busy that I forgot.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25You know? MasterChef, here I come!
0:13:25 > 0:13:27SHE LAUGHS
0:13:27 > 0:13:29So I think we have too many customers
0:13:29 > 0:13:31with false dentures for these.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33SHE LAUGHS
0:13:40 > 0:13:43For Head of Security Eric Toms,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46the start of the festive period brings new responsibilities.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50I think the biggest problems are theft.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54You get a lot of people that have stolen from other shops
0:13:54 > 0:13:56and they've tried to walk through,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58and we get radioed and we know they're coming
0:13:58 > 0:14:00and we keep an eye on them.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Um...and we pass them on to other stores
0:14:03 > 0:14:05to make sure that they don't get away.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10Edward and Sarah's perfume stall is an obvious target for thieves.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13And Eric has decided to test their security.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19I'm just going to attempt to steal something from the perfume stall.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22It's going to be awkward because there are people talking to them,
0:14:22 > 0:14:23but we'll have a look.
0:14:32 > 0:14:38OK. This is the bottle that we just had from the perfume stall.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41I'll return that straightaway. I don't know what the value of it is.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45But it was done quickly, he hadn't seen it.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Here you are, my friend, your bottle back.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49- Thank you very much.- You're welcome.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Obviously, you know about the filming.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56We're just pointing out how quick and easy it was,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00- how it can happen so quick when you're being distracted.- Yes.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02And that's about it, basically.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05We're not only doing yours, I'm going to do someone else's now.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07In fact, I'm going to do quite a few.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11On a good day, Eric will steal from up to half-a-dozen stalls.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12We've just come up to this stall.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15I can see straightaway that the lady's in the stall,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17so she's obviously not watching this.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27There we go. Thank you very much. We just walk.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Would you, um...like some of your stock back?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Would you like some of your stock back?
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Yes, thank you very much.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47I'm going to the ladies, would you check my stall for me, please?
0:15:47 > 0:15:50I was showing Will how easy it was to get something from the stalls.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51Yeah, but this is special.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53HE LAUGHS
0:15:53 > 0:15:58- So...- But my gut instincts told me...
0:15:58 > 0:16:00that something was happening.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Yeah. So now you want me to keep an eye on your stall?
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Keep an eye on my stall, as I go down there.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Right, what actually happened there, Will, was that...
0:16:09 > 0:16:10that was a bit of bad luck.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12She's actually wanted to go to the loo
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and come out after I've pinched it.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17But she didn't even know when she passed
0:16:17 > 0:16:21that I had her scarves on me until I gave them back.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27She wants me to look after her stall now when she has gone to the loo.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37By late afternoon, the market is quietening down.
0:16:42 > 0:16:43After six hours of shopping,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47the trollies from Gilfach Goch have reached breaking point.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50I've got my cockles, you've got your onion bhajis.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Karen's got a coat.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Coat. Because there's no market in Gilfach any more.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Do you want to get some sweets to take home?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Got a Callum. Got a Tyler?
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Got a Tyler and a William.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05- And a William?- Yeah, and a William.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Right. Got a Tyler, Callum and a William bar.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Ready for home now.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17We've had a lovely day, but we can't wait to go home.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19And the bus is waiting for us, again.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- Is this normal? - Yeah. Every year!- Yeah!
0:17:22 > 0:17:25We were the last ones on the bus last year.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28And Karen didn't come last year.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30So this year, we'll blame Karen shopping.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33My phone is going yet again.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Look at the trolley cemetery, where they've all given up.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44RIP, trollies. RIP!
0:17:51 > 0:17:55December in Swansea is a time of funfairs and late-night shopping.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59It's a chance for the city's small businesses
0:17:59 > 0:18:02to turn the festive spirit into a tidy profit.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06For the market's newest traders,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08this means working late into the night.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Emily Poole's new Chocoholics shop
0:18:12 > 0:18:15sells handmade organic chocolates.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18To keep her shelves full, a new batch must be shaped
0:18:18 > 0:18:20almost every night in a nearby cafe.
0:18:21 > 0:18:26I'd say on average a box of truffles would be about £6.00 for a box,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28and then the lollies are about £1.00 or £2.00,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and then these would be loose.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35So ideally, to get a full wage, even if it's a minimum full wage,
0:18:35 > 0:18:40we'd need to be selling 120 chocolate truffles every day.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45People always want chocolate.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48And I think it might be hit a little bit by the recession.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50If it was done a few years ago,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52I think it might do a little bit better,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54but at the same time, if people want chocolate,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I know that most people I know,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59even if they've got 30p that's spare
0:18:59 > 0:19:01and they really want something sugary,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04they'd much rather do that than save it up.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08After a decade working in offices,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Emily has invested all her savings to start Chocoholics.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16There are only a handful of one-man bands like her in the market.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18I guess it was when I hit 30,
0:19:18 > 0:19:24realising that I was just still temping in an admin role, um...
0:19:24 > 0:19:29and actually deciding to actually go for something that I wanted to do.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I had all the support there to help me to do that,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34so I thought, "Right, just go for it."
0:19:34 > 0:19:39But I think it was actually realising that I hadn't actually done much
0:19:39 > 0:19:41that I wanted to do yet.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43I think you have to follow your dreams in life,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46but be careful with it at the same time.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57For all stallholders, the pressure to earn a living
0:19:57 > 0:19:59can lead to the market taking over their lives.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Sunday morning will find many still hard at work.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Battling to keep their business alive,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13David and Janet Court's home is overrun with stock
0:20:13 > 0:20:16from I Do Wedding Favours.
0:20:18 > 0:20:19This is the hallway.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I like to keep this free, as well,
0:20:22 > 0:20:23from anything to do with the business.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Not always possible, because we've usually got loads of parcels here,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29but I do like to keep it free from business
0:20:29 > 0:20:32because if anybody calls, first impressions count.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36So I don't want boxes. David doesn't mind, of course.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Boxes earn the money.
0:20:38 > 0:20:39What's in them does.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42So this is what we... This is... I'm so proud of it.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44- THEY LAUGH - Did you get that?!
0:20:47 > 0:20:48Use the still.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52This has got nothing to do with me, whatsoever.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55I'm so embarrassed!
0:20:55 > 0:20:57'The public take over our lives.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00'That's all we have to think about, is the brides and the shop
0:21:00 > 0:21:03'and getting there on time and getting what they need.'
0:21:03 > 0:21:08And even on a Sunday, we're preparing for the rest of the week.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10And this is David's stockroom.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16This is where some of the obvious differences lie
0:21:16 > 0:21:18between living and working.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20This should be a double bedroom.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Centrally heated, double glazed,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and all the rest of it. Beautiful room.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26But what have we got? We've got a stockroom.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30We've got shelving that I've built, as you can see.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32The normal way of doing it
0:21:32 > 0:21:36is you have your home and then you hire a unit on an industrial estate
0:21:36 > 0:21:38and all the work goes on over there
0:21:38 > 0:21:40and then you come home and it's all lovely.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42But the cheapest way to do it
0:21:42 > 0:21:45is have your industrial unit within your house
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and to also live within your house
0:21:48 > 0:21:54and try as hard as you possibly can to keep the two apart.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59David and Janet's large house is located just south of Aberystwyth,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02over an hour away from Swansea Market.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05If we drive directly to the shop, it's 55 miles.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10But we might have to visit a wholesalers on the way in.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13It's a very long day and you just start running out of energy.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16We're not 20 years old any more.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20One man who is not lacking energy is Gold Reserves' Peter Middleton,
0:22:20 > 0:22:25today visiting a local radio station to drive business to his stall.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Guess what this is.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28I've no idea. Treats?
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- Custard slices. - Oh! You're spoiling us today.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Absolutely.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35His gold-buying business now deals in
0:22:35 > 0:22:38£100,000 worth of gold every week.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Hello, Bev. Mr Middleton's in reception for you.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44OK? Thank you. 'Bye!
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Thank you. Can I go up?
0:22:47 > 0:22:49You can indeed, yes.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Today is the start of his Christmas marketing campaign.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55For more reviews, visit goldreserves.co.uk.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56Now open Sundays.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Can we do, "Now open Sundays!"?
0:22:59 > 0:23:02You need to brighten up a little bit. You're a little bit...
0:23:02 > 0:23:05For more reviews, visit gold reserves.co.uk.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Now open Sundays!
0:23:07 > 0:23:09That was a bit cheesy, that one.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11THEY LAUGH
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Most business owners are technicians, I guess.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Maybe you've got a skill or a trade, if you like,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22and you're fed up with earning other people money, so you go and do that.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24What people perhaps don't take the time to learn
0:23:24 > 0:23:27is how to run a business.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31And they just work in the business, rather than on the business.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33The message from the satisfied customers is clear -
0:23:33 > 0:23:36sell it, before the bubble bursts, at Gold Reserves in Swansea Market,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38and also Stepney Precinct Llanelli.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41For more reviews, visit goldreserves.co.uk.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Now open Sundays!
0:23:43 > 0:23:48I've measured for every £37 I spend with this particular station,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50I get £100 back in profit.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54So, you know, I want to spend as much money as I can here.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58We've gone up from spending less than £100 a week maybe
0:23:58 > 0:24:02to more nearer the £4,000 or £5,000 a week mark at the moment.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04And I want to spend more.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Because if I can get it to prove a return,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08then I want to be spending £100,000 a week.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11- There we go. You're done.- Cool.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Demand for Peter's services is so high
0:24:14 > 0:24:16that after only 40 minutes in the radio station,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19there's already a willing customer.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Do you want to price these separately, do you?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Yeah. Because I don't know if I want to do those yet,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25but those definitely can go.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28It's mostly going to be nine carat.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31But you never know, there may be the odd bit of 18.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32It's worth looking.
0:24:32 > 0:24:38'I spend 80% of my time on the marketing of the business.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41'So driving customers
0:24:41 > 0:24:44'and customer relationship with existing customers.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47'Whereas I used to spend 100% of my time on the stall.'
0:24:47 > 0:24:50How much do you reckon?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52£60.00?
0:24:53 > 0:24:54Oh!
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Oh, my God! Yay!
0:24:56 > 0:24:58SHE LAUGHS
0:24:58 > 0:24:59That's brilliant!
0:24:59 > 0:25:01'What I'm doing now is a lot easier
0:25:01 > 0:25:05'than what I was when I was standing behind a counter.'
0:25:05 > 0:25:07That's what most small business owners do
0:25:07 > 0:25:11for their whole lives sometimes, and it can be almost a jail sentence.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Back in the market, the food traders
0:25:18 > 0:25:21are beginning to build up to the final Christmas rush.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Beef silverside, this is.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Pigeon breast, I've got in the freezer.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Will there be any more wild rabbit? Any more wild rabbit?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Got to get it all loaded up, nice and presentable, yeah.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36# Come and buy me! #
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Customer service has to be at its best.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43If you need any help there, love, just give me a shout.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48You've got to be on the ball now, from now till Christmas,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51because if the customers are around, they need serving.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Numbers in the market are expected to double,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57as people shop for their Christmas dinner.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59The trade that comes with this time of year
0:25:59 > 0:26:01sees us through January, February.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05People come, they might not shop here any other time of the year,
0:26:05 > 0:26:06but they come down at Christmas.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10And hopefully, we'll get it right at Christmas,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12they'll get it right at Christmas,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16and people get back into the habit of Swansea Market shopping.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22- I make a lot of them myself. - You make a lot of them?
0:26:22 > 0:26:26- Yeah. I make most of these ones. - Oh, right. I hope it works, anyway.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28For Emily Poole's Chocoholics stall,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32this Christmas is a vital chance to establish her business.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34'Christmas is the most important time.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36'That's when most people buy chocolates for everyone.'
0:26:36 > 0:26:40And then hopefully, they'll all come back throughout the year
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and remember that we're here.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43It's getting a customer base.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45With nobody else supporting her,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Chocoholics' future will depend on the business
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Emily can generate over this festive period.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55At the moment, I'm being very careful with money.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Not spending it on anything else, apart from necessary things.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02And I had a little bit of money saved up from my previous job.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07And, er...but I am also looking into things like working tax credits.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10See what's available to help me, as well.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I'll have Baileys, strawberry and champagne.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Yeah, and can I have some after-dinner mint?
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Yes.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- There you go.- Thank you very much.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20- See you soon.- 'Bye!
0:27:21 > 0:27:24A lot of people have really liked it.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27And a lot of people... Well, the customers who've come here so far
0:27:27 > 0:27:31have all said they'd much rather get something handmade,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33a bit more personal for them,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36because it's just a nicer gift to give, or to eat, even.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40For the last week of this year's market trading,
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Emily, Edward, and the 101 other stallholders
0:27:44 > 0:27:47will work harder than they have worked all year.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53For the next eight days, we've got about 104 hours' work.
0:27:53 > 0:27:54104 hours over the eight days.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57To me, water off a duck's back. Just get on with it.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02Swansea Market's Christmas food rush is just about to begin.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Next time, in Swansea Market,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19a special visitor graces the market's aisles.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21- Do you shake hands, or not? - Hold that out.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23That's good.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26The axe falls on a struggling business.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Taking everything out of here is like pulling our dream to pieces.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34And the pressure rises on the final Christmas weekend.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Oh! We've lost out.
0:28:37 > 0:28:38Just made my mind up now.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40He can't get it on. Transport's gone.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd