A COUPLE hoping to expand their vintage clothing business say they were made to feel “unwelcome” by traders on Darwen’s three-day market.

Former military policeman Dominick Fisher and partner Zita have had Molly Dolly Vintage on Jubilee Street since January but said business is slow.

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So they decided to branch out to Darwen’s three-day market to help them pay the bills.

Dominick, originally from Ramsbottom but who now lives in Blackburn with his partner, said: “We were made to feel really unwelcome.

“People weren’t even selling similar stuff. We just wanted to get out of there. We were made to feel really uncomfortable.

“We spent about three hours setting up the day before and traders told us the stall was looking really good.

“We got in at 8am and within half an hour the market inspector came along and said I’m afraid you’re going to have to change things around.

“You didn’t tell us you were selling new things. I told her that we were selling vintage and vintage-inspired items.

“She told us she’d received four complaints saying we can’t sell bags, scarves and shoes because other traders already sell those items.

“According to the competition laws you can set a bakery up next to a bakery. I told her I’d never heard anything so ridiculous and we decided to just pack everything up.

“Traders were just looking round and scowling and being really petty. We were supposed to have the stall on Friday, Saturday and Monday but we didn’t even last until Friday lunchtime.

“We’d heard Darwen liked vintage stuff so the three-day market seemed ideal.“The traders thought we were treading on their toes. I would never go back there.” A Darwen Market spokesman said the couple were not selling the items they had agreed to sell.

David Smith, markets manager, added: “We were delighted at the prospect of a vintage stall on Darwen Market and agreed they could sell any products as long as they were vintage.

“We didn’t receive any complaints about them so were surprised when they left. We are always on the lookout for new traders but we also have to ensure we have a nice mix of businesses as we are small.”