Personal Shopper: Cornucopia! is the culmination of a 3 year project by Katie Etheridge & Simon Persighetti exploring and celebrating the rich network of relationships between shoppers, traders and goods in Kirkgate Market.

In the sensory labyrinth of Leeds Kirkgate Market, Personal Shopper: Cornucopia! is the market in microcosm, a 21st Century Still Life of fruit, fish, textiles, jewellery, frying pans, friends and experiences. Offering a pick-and-mix selection of micro tours led by local shoppers, traders, market enthusiasts and mis-guides, Katie and Simon invite you to navigate the Market through a series of idiosyncratic Personal Shopper tours where poetic, playful and practical insights are intertwined with personal histories, individual passions, and lived experiences. 

Join Simon and Katie at the Personal Shopper: Cornucopia stall at Unit 28, Row J in the 1981 Hall of Kirkgate Market 11-12 and 14-19 November, (that's every day during the festival apart from Sunday). Join a tour, see the sights, say "hello" or buy a copy of a new publication -  Personal Shopper: A Market Mis-Guide.

Commissioned by Compass Festival.

katieetheridge.com    

Take your pick from the cornucopia of Mis-Guide tours: 

All tours start from the Personal Shopper: Cornucopia! shop: Stall No. 28, Row J, in the 1981 Hall.

Mis-Guide tours are FREE but have limited capacity so booking is essential. Book online here, at the Personal Shopper: Cornucopia! shop or by phone on 07751307931.

The Unwritten History of Kirkgate Market by the Old Market Boy

The 'Old Market Boy' first came here as a child and has seen a lot of changes at Kirkgate over the past 50 years. He knows the place from above and below and will lay out his stall of official and unwritten stories of the market.

APPROX DURATION                60 mins

DATES & TIMES                        Tues 15 Nov, Wed 16 Nov at 1.30pm

Book here

For this walk, if you are a wheelchair user or have special access requirements, please contact us in advance at [email protected]

The Pearl in the Oyster with Hayes Seafoods

Every stall speaks a thousand words. At this stall the pearl in the oyster is the conversation. For Personal Shopper an oyster is shucked, eaten by a guest and talk begins. Discover what the pearl in the oyster is for you at Kirkgate.

APPROX DURATION                30 mins 

DATES & TIMES                        Monday 14 Nov, Wednesday 16 Nov at 2.30pm

Book here

Every Bean Tells a Story by The Teapot

“Sitting together and drinking tea or coffee makes us human... and in that way, something of the ritual power connected with coffee is still retained”  Bart takes you on a trip through time and space; a map of the world marked out with coffee beans. Every bean tells a story...

APPROX DURATION                50 mins 

DATES & TIMES                       Thurs 17 Nov, Fri 18 Nov at 4pm

Book here

Dansette Days by Andy Wilcox

Andy Wilcox has been on the market circuit for a long time and can be found selling vintage record players and guitars. He takes you on a trip round his stall talking about his trade as well as the amazing story of the 1924 Plus-A-Gram which eventually became the famous Dansette Record Player. Take this tour to tune into the grooves of 50's, 60's, and 70's music machines.

APPROX DURATION                30 mins 

DATE & TIMES                        Thurs 17 November at 10.30am

Book here

Fill a Bag for a Pound

Come to Dan’s stall where cardboard boxes overflow with bric-a-brac, old photos, memorabilia, till rolls, ornaments, china, glass, and novels with names like “The Cabaret Girl”. Once a week there is a flurry of activity when customers are offered the chance to fill a bag for a pound. What can we make of the treasure in these boxes?

APPROXIMATE DURATION   30 mins 

DATES & TIMES                           Fri 11 November at 2.30pm, Fri 18 November at 2pm

Book here

Threads by Hayley Alessi

“Threads is inspired by own experience of visits to the market as a small child, other interactions with markets over the years, and why markets are an important part of my personal history.”

The tour interweaves Hayley’s stories and memories with those of the people she meets along the way, exploring peoples’ connections to the market and to each other.

APPROX DURATION                35 mins 

DATES & TIMES                       Sat 12 November, Fri 18 November, both tours start at 11am

Book here

Favourite Things Poetry Tour by Matthew Bellwood

From the moment you enter Kirkgate Market, there is poetry to be found in everything. With a shopping bag of found poems, storyteller Matthew Bellwood guides you through the market, on a tour of ‘favourite things’ identified by traders and stallholders.

APPROX DURATION                40 mins 

DATES & TIMES                       Fri 11 Nov at 4pm, Sat 12 Nov at 3pm, Thurs 17 Nov at 3pm, Fri 18 Nov at 3pm

Book here

Meet and Eat the Streets by Kathryn Garnett

For those who want a personalised tour of the market, your Meet and Eat guide will rustle up some food memories and help you gather and share a meal that reflects the roots and fruits of your life. This is an invitation to explore the art of telling your own or your community stories through food.

During this tour you may be invited to eat food from a range of the many food stalls in the market. As each stall sources and prepares its own food we cannot guarantee that any food is safe for allergy sufferers. If you have any allergies can you please check with stallholders when receiving the food and use the available information to make informed choices about what is on offer.

APPROXIMATE DURATION   80 mins 

DATES & TIMES                           Fri 11 November, Sat 19 November, both at 11.30am

Book here

WorkersLunchTime by WorkersLunchTime

It's lunchtime but there is a certain Leeds office worker who uses his spare hour to go on adventures and explorations. 

“I’m on a quest. To fill that pure, unadulterated hour. Sandwiched between the two thick slabs of morning and afternoon. In my job I’m lucky enough to have an hour break for lunch and I’m looking for new bite-sized stuff to do.” Join this tour to find a mis-guided lunch.

Please declare appetites and allergies as during this tour you may be invited to eat food from a range of the many food stalls in the market. As each stall sources and prepares its own food we cannot guarantee that any food is safe for allergy sufferers. If you have any allergies can you please check with stallholders when receiving the food and use the available information to make informed choices about what is on offer.

APPROX DURATION                50 mins 

DATES & TIMES                      Sat 12 Nov, Mon 14 Nov, Wed 16 Nov, Sat 19 Nov  All tours start at 1.10pm

Book here

53° 47' 49.8804'' N / 1° 32' 19.7916'' W by Rommi Smith

Rommi Smith locates moments of kindness in the heart of the market and shares a specially commissioned poem, whilst encouraging participants to reflect on their own stories of connection and repair.

Rommi Smith is a poet, playwright, librettist, performer and interdisciplinary artist. She is doctoral researcher at the University of Leeds, where she is undertaking a practice-led PhD exploring Jazz and Blues as forms of protest. 

APPROX DURATION                30 mins 

DATE & TIMES                         Sat 19 November at 10.30am and 3pm

Book here

Mystery Shopper by Simon Persighetti (Wrights & Sites)

It is not a big step to recognise that the market is full of mystery. It is a world within worlds full of products and objects from many sources. Sounds, colours, shapes and atmospheres lure us through the market. Become a mystery shopper on a trail to follow such unwritten signs. 

APPROX DURATION                60 mins

DATES & TIMES                       Friday 11 November, 12 Noon, Saturday 12 November 4pm, Friday 18 November 12 Noon, Saturday 19 November 4pm

Book here