MYO and Escape

Originally Posted by cathidaw

Iwas so disappointed when I heard that the old Fire station was going to be yet another restaurant.
Iwas hoping that it would be used as an area for exclusive and individual shops and boutiques- maybe 'crafty' places that 'normal ' people could afford to rent. There is nowhere like that in Coventry.
In places like Leicester and Banbury these kind of places add to the interest of a town.
Ithink that was the idea at first ,and the council let it out--little units, about the right size but in their great wisdom they weren't at all selective, instead very greedy and allowed it to be filled with market tat. Not even nice tat either- just stalls with people selling banks of toilet rolls and bin bags and the like. Not quite a new Coventry image!.
I wonder what planet these councellors live on, where forethought and imagination does not exist.
So, in view of my thoughts above, this restuarant has to be a good thing.

I think I remember the firestation in use but it may be my imagination

My mum used to tell us that the tower was for the firemen to climb up so that they could slide down, when there was a fire.

They were supposed to be doing something like this around Palmer Lane/Burges, but I don't think there's any market for it.

The trouble is, Coventry has a very low retail footprint. There is wealth in the city, but the people with that wealth deserted the city centre years ago - people don't like it. It's ugly and awkward, and places like Leamington are practically next door and are fare nicer environments. Furthermore, Coventry consists of a bunch of dead ends and has no pedestrian footfall, which is why there is nothing on the streets outside the precinct - the ringroad has pretty much destroyed the flow of pedestrian traffic into the city centre.

I doubt Coventry will ever have the same retail scene as Leicester, Nottingham, and even small places like Leamington.

The new developments like Friargate and Belgrade Plaza will bring a lot of big chain bars/restaurants in, but nothing small and independent.

[Madhatter]

Now that I do not believe. Coventry may be ugly but that won't stop it turning around becoming something unique.
Shopping in what is basically an open air shopping centre with trees plants and music is quite a nice experience. What puts me off is that Coventry centre seems to attract a lot of young scruffy yobs for some reason, more than the other cities do.
Anyway, we are creating a town of unique individual shops here in Atherstone, another two book sellers have opened up recently, we have shops selling gifts, ornaments, coffees from around the world, antique shops, collectables shops cafe's restaurants, but hardly any major chain store. Atherstone has far more shops than any other with it's population, more events, more character.
Rather than try to mix all that in with chain stores coventry should sellect an area and stick to what it set out to do.

[cathidaw]

As I said before , Coventry needs small exclusive and interesting little shops.
When Palmer Lane was 'tried out'with small units and a cafe some years ago I had a friend who had a hand-made jewellery stall there, another who sold hand painted silk goods,and there were a few other unusual stalls.

It was a good place and handy for people to wander in when getting off the bus or just walking by.They did a good trade there but the council needed it- so made it difficult in all sorts of ways -rent increases , new petty rules and regulations, making access awkward-and many other things--so what happened? just what 'they' wanted -traders moved and 'they' said nobody wants this kind of thing so we'll close it and they did.
That is exactly what happened to the old fire station.and I feel angry about it.It could have been a centre for the arts or something.
Coventry will never be as Birmingham or Leicester is -nor should it try.

Do we really want large so called upmarket empires here? with a few stuggling small shops, struggling because the customers -that were to be, have walked around these larger empiresfor so long , are too worn out to look at these .All they want is to get to the car park and home ,
Cant wait to see what happens when Ikea is open
I'l probably find Bedworth quite enticing

[Leofric]

Originally Posted by Madhatter

Now that I do not believe. Coventry may be ugly but that won't stop it turning around becoming something unique.
Shopping in what is basically an open air shopping centre with trees plants and music is quite a nice experience. What puts me off is that Coventry centre seems to attract a lot of young scruffy yobs for some reason, more than the other cities do.
Anyway, we are creating a town of unique individual shops here in Atherstone, another two book sellers have opened up recently, we have shops selling gifts, ornaments, coffees from around the world, antique shops, collectables shops cafe's restaurants, but hardly any major chain store. Atherstone has far more shops than any other with it's population, more events, more character.
Rather than try to mix all that in with chain stores coventry should sellect an area and stick to what it set out to do.

The rents in the city centre are very high, and many chains can't afford it - have you seen how many stores have closed down recently? Smaller traders have _no chance_ of success, and most of them have closed down.

Outside the precinct, the streets do NOT attract trade as they have low footfall and this means low business and NO passing trade. Shops struggle to survive in places like Spon Street. Furthermore, these streets have no road access either, or very limited road access, so there is no passing motor trade.

A lot of people don't shop in Coventry - and it's proving very difficult to bring them in, especially when most of the stores are closing and being replaced with bargain discount stores.

There are some independents - the Alma Deli, for example, and stuff in City Arcade, but most of these places seem to close after a while.

Setting aside areas rarely works - these things tend to happen organically.

[Leofric]

Originally Posted by cathidaw

As I said before , Coventry needs small exclusive and interesting little shops.
When Palmer Lane was 'tried out'with small units and a cafe some years ago I had a friend who had a hand-made jewellery stall there, another who sold hand painted silk goods,and there were a few other unusual stalls.

It was a good place and handy for people to wander in when getting off the bus or just walking by.They did a good trade there but the council needed it- so made it difficult in all sorts of ways -rent increases , new petty rules and regulations, making access awkward-and many other things--so what happened? just what 'they' wanted -traders moved and 'they' said nobody wants this kind of thing so we'll close it and they did.
That is exactly what happened to the old fire station.and I feel angry about it.It could have been a centre for the arts or something.
Coventry will never be as Birmingham or Leicester is -nor should it try.

Do we really want large so called upmarket empires here? with a few stuggling small shops, struggling because the customers -that were to be, have walked around these larger empiresfor so long , are too worn out to look at these .All they want is to get to the car park and home ,
Cant wait to see what happens when Ikea is open
I'l probably find Bedworth quite enticing

I don't recall "Palmer Lane" ever being used for market traders. When was that? I've been here since 1989. Ever since I've been in Coventry, the big complaint has been high rents and lack of trade for anything slightly expensive or upmarket - I soon found it it's because a lot of Coventrians just go elsewhere as they don't like the City Centre.

[cathidaw]

HI,
aCTUALLY THE ENTRANCE TO THIS LITTLE 'ARCADE OF SHOPS WAS OPPOSITE the poster shop of COVENTRY THEATRE.
There was a big black and white pub almost next door to the right of it. Customers could walk through to the back of the arcade and come out in Palmer Lane. To the right was what was left of the river Sherbourne in the city, and an entry or alley through to the Burges
Halfway through this arcade was a cafe where I often took my children for some of the best bacon sandwiches in Coventry even tho'there was hardly room to sit.
Funnily enough the place did not smell of cooking.
I've was in Coventry for a long time-was a nurse at Gulson Hospital. We were poor and knew all the cheap places to eat on days off.

[Leofric]

Originally Posted by cathidaw

HI,
aCTUALLY THE ENTRANCE TO THIS LITTLE 'ARCADE OF SHOPS WAS OPPOSITE the poster shop of COVENTRY THEATRE.
There was a big black and white pub almost next door to the right of it. Customers could walk through to the back of the arcade and come out in Palmer Lane. To the right was what was left of the river Sherbourne in the city, and an entry or alley through to the Burges
Halfway through this arcade was a cafe where I often took my children for some of the best bacon sandwiches in Coventry even tho'there was hardly room to sit.
Funnily enough the place did not smell of cooking.
I've was in Coventry for a long time-was a nurse at Gulson Hospital. We were poor and knew all the cheap places to eat on days off.

I know the place! "Shambles Arcade..." Used to have a bookshop and 2nd hand music shop there as well. It was popular with students when I was at the Poly in the 1990s... Demolished a few years ago... Along with the pub.