At first glance, Luke Riley looks like any other hard-working market attendant.
Dressed in his Swansea Market uniform, mop or broom sometimes in hand, he goes about his daily routine with quiet pride.
But to thousands of TikTok users, Luke has become something else entirely – the face of a Swansea social media success story.
The official Swansea Market TikTok account has racked up more than 1.5m video views, 8,300 followers and over 66,800 likes since launching in March 2024.
Its mix of light-hearted clips, dancing stallholders, lip-syncs, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the life of Wales’s largest indoor market has struck a chord well beyond the city’s borders.
One video – set to a track by rapper Kendrick Lamar – has been watched an astonishing 166,000 times. And right at the heart of it all is 26-year-old Luke.
“I was definitely nervous at first,” Luke said. “I knew TikTok was a big deal, but I’d never done anything like it before. The first time I got asked to be in a video, I thought ‘really? me?’
“But now people come up to me all the time — teenagers, families, even people in their 60s — saying, ‘You’re the TikTok guy!’
“It’s mad, but it’s brilliant too.
“Every week we do something new — dancing, lip-syncing, or just showing off what’s in the market.
“But it’s not just fun — the videos are working to the benefit of the market. The views go up so fast, and I can see it on the ground too. I do the door counts at the end of the day, and since we started TikTok, the figures are on the up.
“It’s bringing in new people to the market, especially younger customers.
“Every video feels like I’m leaving my mark. I love this place, and I want everyone to see what makes it special. If TikTok helps bring people in and shows off the character of the market, then I’m all for it.”
Swansea-born and bred Luke’s connection to the Swansea Council-run market runs deep. Born in Portmead, he spent his childhood visiting the market with his mum and grandparents.
“It’s always been a part of my life,” Luke said. “I remember the smells — the bakeries, the pasties coming out of the oven — that takes me right back.”
Luke went to Bishop Vaughan Comprehensive School, staying on for the sixth form, but by then he knew university wasn’t for him.
He said: “I just thought, I want to start working, earning money, standing on my own two feet.
“That’s why I like it when young people who aren’t really getting along well at school come to us for work experience. I like showing them that there are options for them if school isn’t really their thing and that there are jobs out there that they’ll really enjoy.”
Luke started work at the market seven years ago and hasn’t looked back since.
“What I love about this job is that it mixes things I really enjoy — cleaning and helping people,” Luke said.
“I know it might sound strange to call cleaning a hobby, but it honestly is for me.
“Even at home I drive my partner mad with how much I like keeping everything spotless.
“We won the UK’s best large indoor market award last year, so the market has got a great reputation. I want to keep it up to standard. It matters to me.
“Our team and the market community are also fantastic. We’ve got staff from my age up to their 60s, but we all get on like mates.
“And then there’s the stallholders and the regulars. You see the same faces every day, you have a chat, you help out. It’s that sense of community that makes the market special.”
Many traders are also regularly featured in the market’s TikTok videos. They include Dr Sreekanth Tinnelveli, of Smoothie Den; Eloise Beaman, of El Mercado, Iokasti Konstantourou, of Ioakasti’s Greek Mediterranean Kitchen; and Ian Curtis, of Storm in a Teacup.
Cllr David Hopkins, Swansea Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Performance, said: “All of our market staff including Luke continue to a fantastic job in showcasing the very best of the market, both on the ground and online.
“Their enthusiasm – along with the dedication and commitment of the brilliant market traders – mean the market is attracting new visitors of all ages, so it’s great to see the exposure that a creative use of social media is leading to.
“Swansea Market has always been about more than shopping. It’s a place of community, innovation and tradition – and our staff there are at the heart of ensuring it’ll thrive for many years to come.”
The market now benefits from close to 100 stalls, stocked with everything from fresh fruit, vegetables, meats and fish to street food, bespoke gifts, cosmetics, clothing, electrical supplies and jewellery.
