There is a steady hum inside South Molton Pannier Market as traders greet familiar faces, coffee steams on nearby counters and shoppers browse everything from fresh produce to handmade gifts. Among the long-established businesses, however, one trader stands out.
Behind the counter of A.A Franchise, 14-year-old Archie Ashdown scans barcodes, processes payments and talks confidently about suppliers, online orders and profit margins — all while balancing the business with homework and school.
His journey began during the Covid-19 lockdown, when boredom prompted him to sell homemade daisy chains outside the family home. Plants followed, then a permanent place at the market.
Today, A.A Franchise sells an eclectic range of confectionery, imported drinks, homeware and garden products, while online orders are dispatched to customers across the UK.
“It may sound a bit stupid,” Archie said, “but I started selling daisy chains in lockdown. I was bored. I did not really have anything to do in lockdown, as most people would probably say, and that left space for me to start selling plants.”
That early venture caught the attention of market manager Adam Nicholls, who has watched Archie develop from an enthusiastic newcomer into one of the market’s most recognisable traders.
“Archie joined us last year when we started our new trader programme,” Adam said. “Initially, he was a bit shy and did not quite know what he was doing, but he picked it up so quickly.
“His interest in business and commerce is outstanding for someone of his age and he has a real interest in developing his knowledge. He progresses week by week.”
Archie’s increasingly sophisticated set-up has impressed customers and fellow traders alike.
“His set-up is more professional than half the stalls in here,” Adam said. “He has five card readers, he can print receipts and everything is barcoded, so he scans your shopping at the till.
“He hires his friends as staff and all his friends want to work for him. I think he has got more policies in place than we have as a market.”
The praise draws a smile from Archie, but he is quick to credit the people who have supported him. While customers see a young businessman confidently running his stall, Archie sees a community that has helped him at every stage.
A market that became a second family
Standing behind a stall was a world away from selling plants and daisy chains to neighbours outside the family home, but Archie says the market community quickly embraced its youngest trader.
“I started selling my plants in the market and that was a big starting point for me,” he said. “Adam has helped me a lot along the way. Ever since I started doing my plants properly in the market, he has always supported me.”
That support grew when Adam offered Archie the opportunity to take over the market’s tuck shop at Skate Molton on Tuesday nights after finding he no longer had time to run it himself.
“One day Adam just said to me, ‘Look, I do not have much time to do it any more. I have got a lot on my plate. Would you like to take it over?’” Archie recalled.
“Ever since then, my business has just grown. My parents and Adam have been really supportive, and so have all the traders in the market.
“I have a lot of people to thank. They are always looking out for me and, if anything goes wrong, they are there. It is like family, really.”
That sense of belonging may not be immediately apparent to visitors, but Archie says it quickly reveals itself during the unpredictable rhythm of market life.
Trading can vary considerably from one week to the next, with everything from the weather to household finances affecting customer numbers. The camaraderie between traders, however, remains constant.
“Sometimes you have good days and sometimes you have bad days, but that is not down to anybody in particular,” Archie said. “It depends on so many factors.
“If I spill a slushie or a drink I am making, everyone comes over to help. A couple of weeks ago, somebody dropped a load of wine and everyone was straight over helping them. That definitely shows how friendly and caring all the traders are.”
Customers are often surprised to discover that Archie owns the business rather than merely helping his parents.
“It really depends,” he said. “If somebody is really stuck on it, I just leave it. I do not really try to correct people, but I try the best I can to make my work known.”
Archie’s father, Richard Ashdown, said he and his wife had deliberately allowed their son to develop the venture independently, stepping in only when necessary.
“It is all down to Archie,” Richard said. “We have not helped him financially at all. The only thing we really do is drive him around, so we are the taxi. We are both very proud of him.”
There were understandable nerves when Archie began trading regularly, but Richard said the support of Adam and the other stallholders soon provided reassurance.
“Adam took him under his wing,” he said. “For the first few weeks, he made sure Archie was next to another trader we knew, which made me and his mum much more comfortable. Everybody keeps an eye out for him. It is like one big family here.”
In an age when an increasing amount of business is conducted online, the historic market has given Archie something no website or social media platform could provide: a place where experience is shared freely, encouragement comes naturally and success is celebrated collectively.
Balancing business with being 14
Running A.A Franchise involves far more than standing behind the counter on market days.
Between serving customers, Archie updates his website, manages stock, arranges deliveries, calculates postage costs and plans new product ranges. He must fit it all around life as a Year 9 pupil.
“I can manage most of it,” he said. “It gets to the point where I have lots of stuff to do and then I just make a day at the weekend, or an evening, where I am focused on doing that one thing.
“Doing the website is a lot to put in, but you get the reward out of it. Sometimes it is not just about the money.”
Although the market remains at the heart of the venture, Archie’s website is helping A.A Franchise reach customers well beyond North Devon.
“I have started doing my website properly now and I am shipping all across the UK,” he said. “All my pricing is based on weight, which I must say is a pain to do, but once it is done, it looks very professional.
“Everything I do in person and everything I do online links together with the system I have got, so it saves me time.”
Like many independent retailers, Archie has discovered that online selling involves far more than simply listing products.
“There are a lot of unseen charges that I need to put into the price,” he explained. “I ship up to 25 kilos in one package, but obviously the prices increase. There is quite a lot behind the scenes that people do not really see.”
The product range has also evolved considerably since Archie first arrived at the market with his plants.
Imported sweets and drinks have become a particular area of interest, with products sourced from countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan.
“I am starting to introduce mystery bundles,” Archie said. “It seems to be a growing market and people like trying things they have not had before. I would like to take that opportunity and run with it.”
Despite the demands of the business, education remains the priority at home.
“We have always said school is important,” Richard said.
Archie agrees, although he admits that finding time to relax can prove difficult.
“It is a bit of a rare occasion that I get some time to myself,” he said. “Sometimes I will have two monitors on my desk and, while I am waiting for something to load for the business, I will play a game.
“Then, when I am waiting in the game, I go back to work. I sort of do both at once.”
His response when asked whether the venture had proved financially rewarding was equally grounded.
“For a 14-year-old, yes,” he said. “But obviously I would not be able to live on it. If I left school now and left home, I would not be able to keep doing it. I think that probably sums it up.”
School today, Dragons’ Den tomorrow?
Recognition has already begun to follow Archie’s success.
He has completed a Level Two Food Hygiene qualification for retail and secured a food hygiene rating of five for the business. He has also been named South Molton Pannier Market’s Young Trader of the Year.
“I am very happy with that,” he said. “It is something I have got now that I can use for the future.”
Archie has also received multiple nominations for a national young entrepreneur award run by the National Association of British Market Authorities.
“I am really happy with that,” he said. “I have had nominations from multiple people, which I am very grateful for. I am hoping that can be the next step in my journey.”
His ambitions include attending more markets and events, expanding the range of imported products and continuing to grow the online side of the business.
For Adam, Archie’s progress demonstrates why creating opportunities for young traders matters. He said Archie’s contribution had also strengthened the market’s successful entry in the Britain’s Favourite Market awards, where its support for young entrepreneurs formed part of the judging criteria.
Adam believes the teenager has a bright future ahead of him.
“If Archie is not on Dragons’ Den in the next five years, I would be very surprised,” he said.
Whether or not that prediction comes true, Archie is already learning lessons that many people do not encounter until much later in life. He is building relationships with customers, managing stock, understanding costs and profit margins, solving problems and discovering that running a successful business is as much about people as it is products.
Richard still smiles when he remembers the homemade daisy chains sold at the end of the family driveway.
“It is a pleasure to see where he started,” he said. “From the daisy chains at the end of the driveway to what he is doing now.”
Archie, meanwhile, has stock to order, a website to update and homework to finish. For South Molton’s youngest trader, there is still plenty of business to be done.
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