“Newport needs a place like this,” he said. “Until the first lockdown I had a stall in Newport Market for five years. In the last few days [there] I took less money than I had in my first day in the market years ago. The bottom just fell out of it. “It’s worrying for the city. I think it happened because of the way the town is organised, but also because of people’s shopping habits. “[Monday] was a reminder of the old days - how Newport used to be.” Carl Simmonds of Old Brenin Distillery said being part of the market was enjoyable after a tough year.