Daisy and Liv Tinker are the twin sisters behind small business market pop ups, Salad Days (previously known as ‘A South London Makers Market’).
Passionate about championing small businesses, and helping more people to shop with them, Daisy and Liv run monthly makers markets, pop ups and meet-ups in London. They’re small business experts and having taken part in a few of their markets ourselves, we wanted to chat to them about their journey so far and what they’ve got coming up (as well as the usual foodie inspo too, obviously!).
How did Salad Days Market (previously A South London Makers Market) come to life?
We were irked by having to travel for an hour across the city to get to any good events, so we decided to set up our own in South London, where we lived. We hosted our first market in December 2019 and basically haven't stopped running them since then. It's now our full time job!
What’s your favourite part of the job?
The flexibility to be inspired and then act on that. We don't have to go through long time wasting processes to sign things off; if we're both into it and feeling it we can jump on an idea straight away. It makes every day full of possibilities, incredibly exciting and gratifying when you see an idea come to life in just a few days.
What inspires you?
Recently we've been really inspired by a visit to Edinburgh! The city is so alive with creativity, and also has a really welcoming and positive energy that sometimes London lacks. We're putting it out into the world that we want to host a market in Edinburgh this year, and have already booked another visit back to the city! Generally though, getting out into the world. Mixing up our days! Seeing new things and going to new places. We find art very inspiring and enjoyed visiting both The Lubaina Himid exhibition at the Tate Modern and the interactive Yayoi Kusama collaboration with Louis Vuitton inside Harrods. I’m also currently reading The Story of Art without Men by Katy Hessel which I’m finding incredibly interesting and inspiring!
When you’re invited to dinner, what do you take with you?
Wine! A good rioja crianza, montepulciano or sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.
A career moment that made you really proud?
It's got to be our pop-ups inside Selfridges. Not only because of the big name, but because we really stood firm on what we needed from the collaboration to make it work for small businesses, and we're able to make those things happen. At one point we thought we might lose the collaboration because we wouldn't compromise, but we were able to negotiate what we needed. It was a real thrill, and an important learning for us.
In your opinion, what makes a great host?
Someone who can delegate the conversation to everyone in the room, so everyone feels involved, welcome and heard. And someone who never runs out of wine is aaaalways a good thing.
What do you love most about working with small businesses?
Being able to work with people who make things happen for themselves. Small business owners generally are passionate, creative, tenacious, motivated and hardworking! They inspire us to be better everyday.
What’s next for Salad Days Market (previously A South London Makers Market)?
What's not next! We don't really have a set plan for the future because we like to stay open to new possibilities and ideas! But there will definitely be more markets in more cities across the UK, and we'll keep bringing brand new concepts every month to keep our audience inspired and excited. Our first ever Sale, Samples and Seconds market is coming up at the end of February on 25th snd 26th at Gipsy Hill Brewery Taproom in Gipsy Hill which we are absolutely BESIDES OURSELVES with excitement about. It's our first ever discount-driven event and we'll have over 60 brands with discounts up to 70% to shop over the entire weekend. It's going to be amazing, and it's free to get in! We also recently launched our rebrand, changing our name from A South London Makers Market to Salad Days Market. Whatever else we do this year, we want to make sure we feel like we’re living our Salad Days and helping other people do that too.
Photography: Jordan Bunker
Sweet or savoury?
Savoury, always
Your drink of choice…
Daisy's is an extra dirty martini (always reminds me of that scene in SATC!) Liv's is an espresso martini, and a decaf one after 4pm
Go to comfort food…
Homemade spaghetti bolognese. We're both really proud of our own recipes and are always in competition to see who's is the best.
Best restaurant you’ve been to…
Daisy's recently has been Llewelyns in Herne Hill. Their tomato martini was out of this world.
Liv's is Brat! We once saw Nigella talk live and asked her what her favourite London restaurant was, and she said Brat. We went there immediately and absolutely bloody loved it!
What’s on your Studio Dine Store wishlist?
The "How to Dinner Party" tablecloth with Harriet Says Hi! It's an absolute beauty, and such a good example of a small brand collaboration!
The cookbook you reach for the most?
Tik Tok!!! I’ve pretty much made all the recipes from one creator called Shannon, her handle is @mrs_s_britton and I’d highly recommend her lamb pie! Her roast dinners always look incredible too.
No dinner party is complete without…
Good friends and getting so silly and raucous at the end of the night that your tummy hurts from laughing and you can't bear to eat desert but also can't bear not to eat desert so you have it anyway then think you might die from being so full and happy.
