Repairing

In much the same way that out-of-works actors are not "out-of-work" but "resting" this shop is not "vacant" but "repairing". This photo was taken some while ago (it has lingered in the draft folder for years) and I believe the shop has been "repaired" and reopened, it may well have closed for repairs again such is the style these days.
I read a piece in the Times the other day about how a town in Scotland, Paisley, had dealt with its empty shops by converting them into flats and accommodation and had somehow revitalised its town centre from the scourge of retail desertion. The major retailers aren't going to be coming back ever so why not? Hull City Council however continues to double down with plans for even more retail space on the soon to be demolished BHS site. Maybe they don't get the Times in the Guildhall.

Fill Your Boots

The news earlier this year that the town centre was to lose a pair of Boots¹ (here on Prospect Street and later on Whitefriargate, yes poor old Whitefriargate is to lose yet another store!) was tempered somewhat by the announcement that a brand new, size 16, mega Boots was to arrive in St Stephens. The new store duly opened a few days ago with "huge queues" (who queues for the opening of a new chemists shop? Do they pay them like opera claqueuers to wait from dawn with bated breath for the doors to open? Do they put off buying their Germaloids until the big day? Just what is it that makes these people tick?). So ... anyway, in this town,  the score is two lost and one found ...


¹ Boots, or Boots Alliance, formerly a large and well liked UK pharmacy and retail company bought by Swiss private equity and later sold to Walgreens of the USA. Now just another retailer with too many stores and not enough customers. And, after some atrociously poor customer service, at another Boots, I never go in this place ... I'm sure they miss me.

The Mighty Boo Sign

As a contribution to annual insanity that affects this country at the end of October (thank you USA; another great contribution to civilisation) here's a scary Boo sign. It's actually a sign for a café called Boom but the 'm' went walkabout sometime ago and no-one seems to have noticed ... or perhaps it was never there. Tell you the truth I didn't even notice if the café was still there. I maybe making all this up, I've not been well you  know ...

More of this please

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that there's a celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of Amy Johnson's death during WW2. Well to go with the fibre glass moths someone has actually come up with the bright idea of installing some seats and plants around the Amy Johnson statue on Prospect Street. The overnight improvement of this rather drab area is a most welcome addition. Local shops are reporting an increase in trade, people are sitting having a bit of lunch in the welcome shade ... makes you wonder why the original seats were removed years ago.

Meet the new shop ...

In the blink of an eye this shop changed from being Discount UK to Bargain Buys, same staff, same stock, same prices. That's not really surprising since both brands are owned by Poundland. Try as I might I cannot summon up the enthusiasm displayed by a 'business leader' in the local rag who describes this change of name as a sign of "recognising Hull is a great place to do business" or as the same perp said "Hull is bucking the trend in terms of retail". (I have this idea that a vitual 'business leader' spouts out the same messages just changing the town  or city whenever a button is pressed on a rent-a-quote machine) In fact these bargain basement discount stores are ubiquitous in the UK and not a sign of a strengthening retail market; quite the opposite.

And this is just for, well, why not?