With everything retro new again, the market is more than a curiosity. It's a polyester-lined treasure chest for those who would be hip. Ten years ago Camden Town was a dirty, blue-collar neighborhood with abandoned buildings lining the streets. The market itself has survived the changing fortunes of the neighborhood, and is prospering. Stalls are small, but crammed with jewelry, clothing, antiques, records, lamps, sunglasses, key chains, postcards, and many other goods.
Merchants run the gamut from grizzled hippies to business school entrepreneurs.
Hidden behind piles of books and scarves and trinkets, they sit impassively and read or doze for hours. But there's more than simple bargain hunting here. It's the people-watching that's fun. The market, founded in 1972, attracts some 50,000 visitors a week. Here aging Deadheads stroll behind chic models.