Ancoats to get even cooler as independent market set for MOT garage site

For almost 80 years, the Blossom Motor Company has been at the heart of Ancoats.

The MOT garage, on Gun Street, was established by Harry Meachin in 1948. It’s still in the family in 2025, with his grandsons Sean and Paul getting their hands dirty under Mancunian motors six days a week, 12 hours a day.

Blossom Market

The duo have faithfully served M4 for roughly 50 years. But it’s ‘time to hang up the spanners’ and close the garage, according to their son-in-law, James Ravenhall.

That represents the end of industry in Ancoats — which has gone from a grid of cotton mills thundering away, pushing Manchester to the forefront of the industrial revolution — to a hyper-hip neighbourhood frequently named the world’s coolest, complete with wine bars, sourdough pizzerias, and craft beer pubs.

But once the garage closes in the next year-or-so, a predictable tale of developers moving into a vacant city centre location and eventually building flats won’t unfold.

“They’ve been approached by a number of developers, it’s an area that’s life for gentrification but they still want to serve the community of Ancoats,” James added.

Ever changing Ancoats

So instead of selling the premises, likely worth a lot more than the Meachin family paid for them, Sean and Paul will convert them into an independent market hall for ‘emerging businesses’.

James went on: “As they have seen the area change from heavy industrial to a place where people flock to.

“That regeneration has pushed people out. They feel affordable retail space that Ancoats once had is very scarce. It needs space where people can set up businesses.

“When they have the market in the square there are lots of businesses clamouring to get a foot hold in the area. This will help Ancoats’ independent spirit thrive for years to come.”

Eight units will be installed in the market hall, which could be home to ‘crafts shops, florists, record stores’ as they have ‘all expressed an interest’, James revealed at a council planning meeting on Thursday (April 10).

It’s hoped it will feel like ‘a multi unit arcade’ designed to ‘encourage and allow smaller established businesses to thrive within the area’, a supporting statement from architects Atelier MB added.

Low rents to benefit independent retailers

The conversion was given the go ahead after the Meachins said they would ‘offer low rents which would favour independent retailers’, according to a council report.

And while Ancoats is losing its MOT garage, the Blossom name won’t disappear from Gun Street — because the new hall will be called Blossom Market.

You can find out more about Blossom Market by clicking here