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Caerphilly town’s new container-style market, Ffos Caerffili, has officially opened to the public after several setbacks.

The market’s ‘soft launch’ on Friday April 5 saw dozens of people gather for the 9am opening, where Caerphilly County Borough mayor Mike Adams was there to welcome them.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer, he said: “We’re hoping this market will become a beacon for south Wales, and will welcome people from all over.

“We’ve had some awful weather, but I’m confident Caerphilly can become a magnet for shoppers inside and outside the county borough.”

The market itself has 28 container units, around half of which were open for the initial launch.

One shop welcoming customers early was coffee shop ‘Two Shot Social’, run by Caerphilly Athletic FC manager Ian Butterworth and friend Dafydd Carter.

On the opening, Ian said: “We’re really happy with the product and how it all looks here. We just hope the people of Caerphilly buy into it.

“We actually have two units here, one selling takeaway coffee and sandwiches etc, then upstairs we have a proper sit down breakfast, brunch, and lunch spot.”

Cllr Jamie Pritchard, cabinet member for regeneration, has overseen the project and spoke to Caerphilly Observer at the launch: “The traders are happy and I’m happy. It’s just gone nine in the morning and people are walking around looking happy and excited.

“There have been a few issues along the way which is inevitable during a construction project, but if you take a look around you can see the investment into the town has been worth it.”

He added: “We’re hoping this gets businesses working together, who will in turn help grow the town.”

The rest of the units, including popular Mexican restaurant Bab Haus, ACME Burger Co, and Estraneo Pizza to name a few, are expected to be open later in the day.

Another popular shop was Joe’s Houseplants, run by Joe Carey. He said: “I started off in market stalls a few months ago and it went really well.

“I thought about the next step and realised I needed to take things further and do something with it. I left my full-time job and started chasing this.

“I want to build a legacy for my daughter, and I’m hoping I can do that here.”

As well as selling houseplants, Joe will also run workshops out of the container. He added: “We have a table here and we’ll get people in to pot their own plants as well as planting in glass jars where organisms can live for a lifetime.”

Wayne David, MP for Caerphilly, was also in attendance. He said: “I think it looks great here. There are already a fair few people buzzing around and I’m happy to be here giving it my full support.

“Hopefully it’ll be a catalyst for other developments in Caerphilly. The council has put a lot of effort into revitalising the town and this will be a big help.”

Cllr Pritchard recently revealed Caerphilly Council has effectively saved more than £1 million on the market after receiving a European grant.

The already popular second-hand clothes shop Circular Studio, which has recently been nominated as a finalist in the UK StartUp Awards, was also excited to welcome customers.

Owner Sam Eastcott spoke to Caerphilly Observer and said: “We’re a fluid community space that’s rethinking fashion and textile waste.

“This is our second space with our other being on Clive Street in town and it’s a really exciting time having grown so quickly.

“We were able to test demand with the first place and we’ve seen a lot of men especially come into the shop looking for this type of thing.”

On the award nomination, Sam said: “Considering we’re only four months old it’s amazing to be recognised already. We should find out more details in May before the actual awards in September.”

Tom Williams brews cider in Caerphilly as part of Williams Bros, however he has now quit his office job to open Lock up Bottle Shop at the market and sell his cider, as well as several other craft beers and spirits.

He said: “It’s been stressful getting everything ready, but I think its been worth it when you look at the result. The stock looks great and I’m looking forward to the next couple of months.

“I’m from Caerphilly and as a brewer myself I thought this would be a great opportunity to not only show our stuff, but represent other brewers in the area too.”

Pop-up traders, supported by Caerphilly-based start-up hub Welsh ICE, also have a spot within the market. Ben Braddick explained: “We have a unit here that every month or so we’re going to rotate to other businesses who haven’t had a chance to show up on the high street.

“We’ve got enough bookings to cover about three years so there is lots of interest. There’ll be smaller businesses and different face here all of the time.”