The market mainly caters to local residents and the office population in the immediate Victoria Street area, selling food, groceries, books, and clothing, but is becoming increasingly popular with tourists.

Traders moving from Broadway St James's began the market[1] around 1862 and it gradually grew until it lined both sides of the street by the end of the nineteenth century.

Whilst cheap clothing was still available to buy the other traders were focused on office workers with watches, greeting cards, and umbrellas available.

[5] In the twenty-first century the market followed the trend of the shops and focused on street food served to office lunch crowd.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the market was the setting for Chris Whitty, the then Chief Medical Officer, being harassed by a member of the public with the confrontation appearing on social media and then the national news.