Just as in the real world, people in fantasy need food and other essentials to survive. Not everyone is cut out to hunt or farm food which means that they’ll need to get them elsewhere. Luckily for them, they can find them and much more in the fantasy marketplace, one of the most popular spots in the city.
The marketplace is a smorgasbord of stores selling all kinds of wares, from meat to shields. From the first light of the day to the last, it is a constant stream of activity as people come in and go throughout the day. Besides buying and selling items, it’s also a place where people meet to discuss business.
A fantasy marketplace is a vibrant community featuring a diverse number of stores. Many of them are locally-owned, meaning they sell products that are made right in the city. The type of products they sell depends on where the city is located; maritime marketplaces have a stronger focus on seaside items like fish as opposed to those further inland.
There is a fantastic social component of the marketplace. It’s an excellent place for people to meet and catch up with each other or make business deals that that are beneficial to both sides. There’s no shortage of socialization options you can find there!
With it being a popular spot in the city, it isn’t surprising that a fantasy marketplace is a valuable component of worldbuilding. It enables different people who don’t typically cross paths with each other to forge relationships, strengthening their ties to the community and overall make it a better place.
This is the twenty-ninth article in the series looking at the various kinds of fantasy buildings. If you’d like to see what else we have, you can find plenty more, all on our blog page!
There’s nothing exciting than stepping foot in a marketplace for the first time. You’re greeted with a dizzying array of aromas, noises, and vibrant colors that stand out. You see all kinds of people scurrying around, from shoppers searching for a bargain to merchants boasting their wares are the best ever.
There’s many kinds of shops you can find in a fantasy marketplace. The general store is one of the most popular ones since it provides far more options than many of the smaller ones do. Besides the general store, the types of stores you’re likely to come across are:
And that’s just a few of what you can find there!
The marketplace is considered the economic district of the city/town and is located right on the major roads or at least those that get plenty of traffic. This helps bring money into the town’s coffers, both from its residents and those simply passing through. The marketplace helps the city not only survive but thrive and flourish.
The best part of the fantasy marketplace is that you can scale it with the city. When just starting out, there’s a few shops that sell products that the city needs to survive. As the city grows, so does the size of the marketplace. More stores open up and the type of products they sell become more diverse to cater to an ever-growing population who want to see different items in the marketplace.
The marketplace differs from city to city. The vast majority of marketplaces have a strong emphasis on selling local products which means that if you’re looking for a particular item, you’ll have to travel to the right one to get it. For example, if you want a warm coat to travel through the mountains, you’ll have better luck going to a city near the mountains, not one perched on the coast that’s warm all year long.
Travelers enjoy visiting different marketplaces since they get to experience local cuisine and see the type of products sold there. Sometimes they buy them to take home with them so they can show their family and friends!
With the constant hubbub of the marketplace, it is a prime place for socialization between different people. There is a wide bevy of ways that people socialize in the marketplace both good and bad. After all, it attracts just about everyone, from bargain-shoppers to thieves and gangsters.
The most common way people socialize here is when they’re buying or selling items. Most of the time, they exchange simple pleasantries as they do business but every now and then, there’ll be a disgruntled customer complaining that the item wasn’t to his satisfaction. Repeat customers develop a relationship with store clerks, eventually leading to them discussing the latest going-ons in the city, kingdom, and the world.
A fantasy marketplace is also a great place for people to meet. It could be friends or family members who haven’t seen each other in a while so they make arrangements to meet to catch up with each other. Also, it’s where people meet to make business deals or discuss work-related matters.
It’s also a fantastic place for romance as there’s a good selection of restaurants and food vendors that’ve set up shop there. People on dates have different options to choose from and can take a pleasant stroll around the marketplace, getting to know each other. Married people still use it to keep the romance up in their relationships.
Due to all the different types of people that go to the fantasy marketplace, it does attract unsavory characters. The criminal underbelly of the marketplace brings with it drama and intrigue. Thieves look for an unsuspecting mark to steal his money and whatever he’s carrying whereas gangsters lurk in the shadows, keeping people out and telling them to keep their noses out if they know what’s good for them.
The marketplace is significant to both the city and the world in terms of worldbuilding. It is the economic heart of the city which helps it flourish and expand its population. The number and type of shops there serves as a testament to its growing economic power and the policies it espouses to give people an opportunity to realize their long-cherished dreams. Having a marketplace gives the city’s residents a chance to meet other people and get to know them.
Due to all the different folk that walk through it, the fantasy marketplace enables people from all walks of life to meet each other and form relationships. Business, romantic, and platonic relationships strengthen the bonds of fellowship of the city’s residents to each other, overall making it a better place to live.
The social aspect of the marketplace means people cross paths with people they otherwise wouldn’t see anywhere else. It’s always interesting to see how just going there can change the trajectory of people’s lives since you never know who you’ll see there!
All towns and cities compete against each other to attract both residents and businesses. They form and enact policies that make it easy for people to move in and start up their own businesses, especially in the marketplace. They want those willing to take a risk as they work to make their dreams come true in the marketplace.
The fantasy marketplace showcases many locally-produced items. They can be food grown from nearby farms or freshly-caught fish from the ocean. Featuring local products spurs people to buy them to support the businesses around them as well as drawing in travelers who are just passing by and are interested in seeing what the city has to offer. Having travelers buy their products is a great way for people from other places to learn about the city and its marketplace.
A fantasy marketplace is a dynamic, fascinating place. You encounter different kinds of stores, from clothes to food, and see all kinds of people. There’s always something to do at all points of the day, from opening up for the day to dealing with a massive number of customers waiting in line.
The majority of stores in the marketplace focus on selling local products and services. It’s why you see inns, restaurants, general stores, and so on there. When coming up with your own, take account into what types of items are likely to be found there. For example, for a city situated near a forest, selling forest-related items like axes sell well rather than those in a desert.
Don’t discount the importance of the social power of the marketplace. It encourages people from different backgrounds to come together and form a relationship, whether that be business or love or something else. Different people visit it everyday, meaning there’s always someone you never saw before!
The marketplace is the economic lifeblood of the city. Without it, it cannot grow and thrive. Thus, it’s imperative that it has policies designed to draw in entrepreneurs who have long dreamt about establishing their own businesses, not drive them away.
A fantasy marketplace is not just a vital necessity for the city, it’s essential for the world itself. Haven’t brought it into yours world? There’s no better time to start than today!
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