Since its inception a few years ago Colombo’s Good Market has improved by leaps and bounds. From its early days at Diyantha Uyana to it current home at the Colombo Race Course the Good Market is a hive of activity on any given Saturday with vendors and customers both flocking to the Good Market. Organic fruit and vegetable sellers have been overtaken by other vendors who sell a range of goods from wooden sunglasses to secondhand books to organic food. 

Each visit to the Good Market has yielded in witnessing a new trader often someone selling something new made from organic or recycled products. Food vendors seems to be the most popular ports of call for the visitors to the Good Market who are keen to try innovative creations such as polos burgers and cakes made from organic ingredients along with a range of bread items which one vendor sells. 

Deen the Bookman who counts 33 years as a bookseller is a regular feature at the Good Market. Come rain or shine, each week he is there is his array of second hand books from rare collectors items to the modern day John Grisham. Starting out his trade in Maradana Deen is now located in Wellawatte and seeks selling second hand books as a social service more than a job. "I mostly do this as a service to encourage people to read books. Honestly, I don’t make much money out of this but I get a great pleasure in encouraging people to read and also to help people search for old books. I also see my service as a recycling of sorts as instead of throwing old books away are given a new lease of life when someone else buys it." 

Think Recycle is the brainchild of Isura Indika who is a jewellery craft instructor. A relatively newcomer to the Good Market Isura fashions jewellery out of computer waste and makes bags out of disused plastic boys. He confessed that he had always wanted to make money out of garbage and as Sri Lanka does not have a great disposal system of e-waste he has been deconstructing compter and using various parts of it to make jewellery and clocks. Using plastic bottles and marrying them with a zip has has made a selection of little handbags and coin purses. 

Samantha is an employee of Sevalanka and sells a range of woven items and stuffed toys made under the Pulathisi scheme of Sevalanka. Passionate about the products he sells, he related that each of these items were handcrafted by the women of Mannar from Palmyrah leaves and coloured with natural dyes, every purchase empowers women and creates a sustainable impact. The stuffed elephants which make wonderful gifts are also created under a similar initiative. They have good customers he said which makes them return each week. 

Soft spoken Latha Chandru and her husband are also vendors at the Good Market. This husband and wife team operate two stalls. Latha’s Matti Art products are a novel range of jewellery fashioned from terracotta. She initially started her craft to while away the time but then soon realised that they looked nice and friends showed an interest in her product. Operating at the Good Market for the last month she said sales had been brisk and people always liked to buy something new.  Inspired by traditional Indian art, her range of terracotta jewellery largely consists of necklaces. 

Leaving home at 3am from his hometown of Ampitiya, Sarath Peris comes to the Good Market to sell his exquisitely handcrafts, jewellery, cutlery, keytags,bags and bowls fashioned from coconut waste. Using discarded coconut shells and wood his jewellery is eye-catching. “People admire my products as it is made of natural material and the grain of the wood and shell give it an unusual appearance. It also has unique identity, a real Sri Lankan look to it which appeals to people” he said. 

EH Beulin, a fragile looking lady travels from Galle with a group of craftspeople from Galle. Born in to a beeralu lace making family, Beulin has been handcrafting beeralu lace for the last 28 years. Learning the art from the time she was a school girl, after leaving school it was a no brainer than she too embarks on a lace weaving career. “Colombo ladies love the delicate lace, they use it as trimming for their clothes or buy the tablecloths and runners to decorate their homes. Lack of sales where I live made me travel all the way to Colombo to the Good Market and although sales are slow on some days the response has been heartening.” Beulin said. It takes her almost a day to weave just over a meter of lace, this too she does while juggling her daily chores. Her beeralu lace is also used by a Colombo-based designer who incorporates this delicate and beautiful lace into her creations she added. 

Judging from the crowds milling around Jeewa and Kumar it appears that their food stall of the same name is popular. Their biggest draw is the burgers made from polos which are super. The rice and curry they sell is also tasty and generous in portion size.  Flow run by three dynamic women Anitra, Shazna and Annette sell a series of vegan food and drink which is quite popular amongst  that marker segment. Along side them, Soul Food also sell a range of healthy eating vegan products which are equally popular. 

With her novel combination of achcharu, Vrai’s Achcharu Kade is also a hotspot for foodies. Apart from her signature style achcharu she also sells a range of tasty authentic Sri Lankan cuisine. Walking around the Good Market can be thirsty work but there is nothing more rewarding than cooling off by sampling the best popsicles from Achcharu Kade which are available in a selection of flavours. Made from fruit with no added flavourings or sweetners, it is worth going to the Good Market just to cool down with a juice and tasty popsicle from the Achcharu Kade. 

By Tina Edward Gunawardhana
Photographs by Alice Luker