Digby and Champ, are one of the founding members of the New Market which opened in November. The business which offers premium dog supplies was voted best best market stall by Cheshire Live readers in March.
Business owner Will Mason named the business after his 2 Labradors. “Before this I was working at Chester Zoo as the retail buyer and at the weekend I used to do makers markets and then I spoke to them about my ideas and they were really supportive. I applied for the Market and was successful. ” His first product was a dog bed made out of recycled plastic bottles, all part of the businesses focus on sustainability : ” We were going through so many toys and treats I felt like I could develop a really robust range, which reflected my views on sustainability. I designed the shop to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible and the products to be a durable as possible “
Products on offer include natural dog treats, reusable water bowls, collars and leads made from recycled leather off cuts, and naturally shed dear antler for dogs to chew. “We have a pic and mix range, you can even bake your dog a birthday cake which is duck flavoured!”
“Its been a roller coaster.” since opening in November says Will. Whilst the market has attracted huge footfall including 300,000 visitors in the first month alone, as a non food trader Will is hurt by the constant sniping of critics who label the market a “food hall”. He says ” I think everybody needs to support local independent businesses. Any feedback like that puts off potential customers. I read the comments and it can be quite hurtful. I am part of a community of traders with Daily Wares, which is vintage clothing, Pop Spex which is a really cool , you can get your glasses in 20 minutes, Custom Gifts. All of us have worked so hard and it just annoys me that people are still saying its not a market. Its clearly a market! “
The last 2 weeks have been testing for the Market traders with a period of enforced closure required to make the building safe following the incident in the neighbouring Turtle Bay unit. “All our thoughts are with the 3 victims. The uncertainty has been horrible but the Market team have kept us informed and have handled it really well. We are just pleased to be open!
The Chester blog 
Good Luck with your business.
Our dog loves this shop, makes a beeline for it every time we go near the market. He doesn’t normally accept chews from strangers and is a very fussy eater, but he absolutely loves the treats you sell.