Who are the marginal traders?
An excerpt from a 2010 research, part 2
The marginal traders are those mediators needed for the residents of the town to remember the village.
They are those sellers who are close to the market but not really part of it. They come every day with small quantities to sell and they get situated in the vicinity of the stalls. Their presence, however, is transient. You would rarely meet a person who keeps to the same place every day.
It is not easy to be marginal – there are no comforts provided in their selling business. Marginal traders have an intriguing position at the far end of the Saturday Market. On the one hand, they are outside of it; on the other hand, they are full members of the community of fruit-and-vegetable sellers.
Marginal traders are actual contemporary nomads with their daily commute between village and town. They need the market in town to sell their produce. Town residents, on the other hand, need the market as a source of the foods they require. The clients prefer the fresh produce of the marginal traders over that of the regular stall-sellers.
Marginal traders are part of the market space. They are the missing link between town and village. They are the ones that make the market more charming and colourful.
Their hands (very much in touch with the earth) give you the carry bag with your purchase and communicate to you that everything is the result of toil, daily effort and struggle, as well as love of nature.
Thus, buying from those producers is incomparable to buying from go-betweens. Legally or illegally, they are there. Pay attention to them next time you visit your market. They are those smiley people who are always ready to help – smile back to them!
Their hands (very much in touch with the earth) give you the carry bag with your purchase and tell you that everything is the result of toil, daily effort and struggle, as well as love of nature.
Author: Maria Slavcheva