Make up stall family vow to carry on.
One of the stall holders worst affected in this week’s central Milton Keynes Market fire has told of the sadness and loss he and his family are feeling.
Charlie Herbert, who runs the popular Make Up Stall in the market area next to centre:mk, says he ‘lost everything’ in the Tuesday night blaze, which is believed to have been caused by an electrical appliance overheating in another stall.
“There is nothing left,” Charlie told MKFM. “All of our stall was destroyed – everything that was in that stall, it’s all gone.”
Scores of firefighters and appliances attended the fire, which destroyed a large area of the market space and left much of the rest of it smoke damaged and enveloped in a pungent smell.
At the time of the blaze, residents in the local area were advised by the emergency services to keep their doors and windows closed.
The market is operated by Milton Keynes Development Partnership and Milton Keynes City Council, who have closed it until further notice. Other traders have expressed concern for their futures while the market is shut.
A post on social media from Milton Keynes Market said: ‘This is a devastating blow to our market traders, especially during the busy Christmas period. We ask for your understanding and consideration during this difficult time, as businesses have been affected. We will provide updates as soon as we have more information.’
In the meantime, the Herbert family have been given a small pop-up stall from which they will operate in the busy run-up to Christmas.
“We have the pop-up now, and we have been able to set up in there,” said Charlie. “We went to a wholesaler for more stock and have brought along all we can. We are a hard working family who have been in the market for 27 years. We have just got to pick ourselves up and get on with it.”
The family have set up a GoFundMe page in the hope that they can raise much-needed funds to help them rebuild their business.
On it, fund organiser Erin Herbert says: ‘We all are heartbroken, and no words can describe how we are feeling at the moment. We love all of our customers and all of your support along the years have meant so much. We want to come back stronger and rebuild our stall and continue trading at Milton Keynes market.’
