Do you remember the good old days before the Ghost Town?

[DA Baracus]

The 'high street' isn't the most attractive proposition for many. Parking is expensive. Public transport is expensive. The shops themselves are often expensive.

 

Rents are seemingly ridiculous for the shops too, so empty units become more and more prominent given many shops can't afford them. Then there's the utilities which have been going up and up and up and will be going up yet again soon. Shops can't survive on the high street unless part of a chain, and even then some still can't. It's going to get worse too as parking, public transport, rent, utilities and prices in shops will continue to rise and rise and rise and rise, each rise making things less sustainable for the business and customers.

 

Ultimately greed has ruined the high street. 

[TxRover]

2 hours ago, DA Baracus said:

The 'high street' isn't the most attractive proposition for many. Parking is expensive. Public transport is expensive. The shops themselves are often expensive.

 

Rents are seemingly ridiculous for the shops too, so empty units become more and more prominent given many shops can't afford them. Then there's the utilities which have been going up and up and up and will be going up yet again soon. Shops can't survive on the high street unless part of a chain, and even then some still can't. It's going to get worse too as parking, public transport, rent, utilities and prices in shops will continue to rise and rise and rise and rise, each rise making things less sustainable for the business and customers.

 

Ultimately greed has ruined the high street. 

The question, then, is what will develop in its place? The row of empty store fronts is unsustainable, but what can be put in its place that will be viable.  It might just work if a goodly percentage of those fronts were converted to purely residential units, keeping small blocks of commercial/retail/service on some corners, supporting things like small restaurants, coffee shops, dry cleaners, dentists, convenience stores etc. With the parking available in the area (behind the buildings) it can work much as a redeveloped group of villages. Place a smaller supermarket (Lidl perhaps) on the perimeter, and the City Offices, Library, etc there too. Keep the High Street area pedestrianized, and set up a series of measured distance paths to appeal to the exercise crowd and generate more foot traffic to the small stores.

[DA Baracus]

13 minutes ago, TxRover said:

The question, then, is what will develop in its place? The row of empty store fronts is unsustainable, but what can be put in its place that will be viable.  It might just work if a goodly percentage of those fronts were converted to purely residential units, keeping small blocks of commercial/retail/service on some corners, supporting things like small restaurants, coffee shops, dry cleaners, dentists, convenience stores etc. With the parking available in the area (behind the buildings) it can work much as a redeveloped group of villages. Place a smaller supermarket (Lidl perhaps) on the perimeter, and the City Offices, Library, etc there too. Keep the High Street area pedestrianized, and set up a series of measured distance paths to appeal to the exercise crowd and generate more foot traffic to the small stores.

Nothing. Nothing will replace them because nothing will change because those profiting don't want any change.

[BFTD]

24 minutes ago, TxRover said:

The question, then, is what will develop in its place? The row of empty store fronts is unsustainable, but what can be put in its place that will be viable.  It might just work if a goodly percentage of those fronts were converted to purely residential units, keeping small blocks of commercial/retail/service on some corners, supporting things like small restaurants, coffee shops, dry cleaners, dentists, convenience stores etc. With the parking available in the area (behind the buildings) it can work much as a redeveloped group of villages. Place a smaller supermarket (Lidl perhaps) on the perimeter, and the City Offices, Library, etc there too. Keep the High Street area pedestrianized, and set up a series of measured distance paths to appeal to the exercise crowd and generate more foot traffic to the small stores.

Town centres will be reverting to housing in the coming decades - some councils are still struggling against it, trying to come up with local art spaces and other bollocks, but most have admitted the retail days are over, even if only in private.

Edit: when even smaller charities struggle to financially justify opening shops selling donated goods, you know the game's up.

Edit 2: fun game - next time you're out and about in your local town centre, have a think about how many of the current outlets are likely to be making money. You'll be surprised at how many of them are either vanity projects that someone with a bit of money (inheritance, retirement, insurance) has opened because it was always their dream, or are clearly fronts for illegal activities where the actual money's being made.

Edited December 30, 2022 by BFTD

[Cosmic Joe]

27 minutes ago, BFTD said:

Town centres will be reverting to housing in the coming decades - some councils are still struggling against it, trying to come up with local art spaces and other bollocks, but most have admitted the retail days are over, even if only in private.

Edit: when even smaller charities struggle to financially justify opening shops selling donated goods, you know the game's up.

Edit 2: fun game - next time you're out and about in your local town centre, have a think about how many of the current outlets are likely to be making money. You'll be surprised at how many of them are either vanity projects that someone with a bit of money (inheritance, retirement, insurance) has opened because it was always their dream, or are clearly fronts for illegal activities where the actual money's being made.

Quite happy with the choice of pubs, bookies, chemists, bakers and barbers in Lochee to be honest.

A cheesemonger would not go amiss, but you can't have everything. 

Edited December 30, 2022 by Cosmic Joe

[Derry Alli]

12 minutes ago, Cosmic Joe said:

A cheesemonger 

Cracking one in Exchange St.

[Newbornbairn]

A cheesemonger you say? 

 

 

[BFTD]

Cheesemonger. You'll be after tobacconists and greengrocers next.

There's a building in Alloa that still has an ironmonger's sign on it - there's something that Tesco and Asda haven't taken over.

[ComeUpACropper]

I still found the town too busy in the run up to Christmas.

[Ross.]

Nothing like as bad here as it is in the UK. Bookies don’t exist in the same way, charity shops don’t really exist at all(though there is a big culture for second hand stuff and plentiful “Brockis” but they are generally huge warehouses), and most town centers tend to be a mix of cafes, bars, bakeries, jewelers, chemists and optometrists.

Majority of the clothes shops moved to out of town shopping centers, noticeable that they are all dead or dying as online shopping takes over there, but the towns and villages seemed to adapt to that much better than at home.

Edited December 30, 2022 by Ross.

[scottsdad]

49 minutes ago, BFTD said:

Cheesemonger. You'll be after tobacconists and greengrocers next.

There's a building in Alloa that still has an ironmonger's sign on it - there's something that Tesco and Asda haven't taken over.

A PTTGOMN, but at the old Falkirk Bus station is a sign for a shop advertising itself as a "tabacconist" 

[effeffsee_the2nd]

4 hours ago, BFTD said:

Town centres will be reverting to housing in the coming decades - some councils are still struggling against it, trying to come up with local art spaces and other bollocks, but most have admitted the retail days are over, even if only in private.

 

From a source claiming to be ITK ( my maw who used to work at the cooncil) this was talked about and decided upon long way back in the mid 2000, even when most of the businesses were still viable. The writing was on the wall that the days of high street as a busy shopping hub were behind it and it would revert to majority residential in future

Falkirk council spunked a fortune on a shopping mall in the 90s that mostly failed to live up to expectations. they were also desperate to get rid of Brockville and have Falkirk FC away from the town centre

Edited December 30, 2022 by effeffsee_the2nd

[Boo Khaki]

On 26/12/2022 at 15:44, alta-pete said:

IT’S A VAUXHALL FUCKING VIVA!!!

Coke bottle waistline. The Avenger was a straight edge. 

Correct. It's a Vauxhall Viva 2 door Coupe.

[Raven]

On 26/12/2022 at 10:04, approximately dave said:

One for those who know Glasgow well. Years ago 1986 I visited Glasgow with friends to watch The Jesus and Mary Chain at 'the Barrows' we had a wander around the shops and on Buchannan Street and next to the comic book shop Forbidden Fruit there was a record shop. I don't know if my memory is playing tricks on me but I remember going downstairs and the place was like anarchist punk heaven. Anyone remember the name of the shop?

Another loss in Glasgow was the American Clothing Store on Bath Street which changed name during the 90's to Flip, I think they moved elsewhere in the city before finally disappearing. There was one on the South Bridge Edinburgh as well. Brilliant for t-shirts, you could buy 4 plain black t-shirts for £20.

There was also the Virginia Galleries which was great for small shops selling 2nd hand stuff and finding something unique, popular with students.

That would have been RAT Records (Records And Things). Actually they moved up there from the Virginia Galleries.

[Sugar_Army]

15 hours ago, Mr. Alli said:

Cracking one in Exchange St.

Then just a minute up the road in Castle St is Braithwaites coffee shop.  

[hk blues]

It's a bit like when the local boozer shuts It's doors and folk mourn it's passing - if enough folk drank in it it probably would have made it. City centres are dying because not enough people use them, plain and simple.

Where I am the city centre has survived because it never progressed from how it was in the 60s - mostly small, family businesses selling 'specialist' items. Sure, there are shopping centres with the chains but they tend to be limited in what they sell so there's room for everyone to make a buck. 

Probably the most relevant point is that although we have online shopping, you won't get next day or even next week delivery. 

TLDR - You get the city centre you deserve.

[Shadow Play]

12 hours ago, Ross. said:

Nothing like as bad here as it is in the UK. Bookies don’t exist in the same way, charity shops don’t really exist at all(though there is a big culture for second hand stuff and plentiful “Brockis” but they are generally huge warehouses), and most town centers tend to be a mix of cafes, bars, bakeries, jewelers, chemists and optometrists.

Majority of the clothes shops moved to out of town shopping centers, noticeable that they are all dead or dying as online shopping takes over there, but the towns and villages seemed to adapt to that much better than at home.

It looks like Manifesto in Dundee may be closing.  They’ve set up crowdfunding to try as stay afloat.  Looking to raise £50k.

The problem shops like this face is when it first opened in the ‘80s in Whitehall Crescent it was a small scale clothing store selling designer brands most of us hadn’t heard of.  The only other way you found out about new brands was word of mouth or magazines such as GQ and Esquire.  The fact Manifesto was positioned just off the beaten track was another attraction I guess - a bit like Valentinos in Broughty Ferry.

Nowadays of course any new or obscure labels can be googled on your phone, checked out and purchased in minutes.  Added to that kids today can hop on a bus for nothing and shop in Edinburgh and Glasgow where they have far more options to chose from.  

 

 

 

[BFTD]

12 hours ago, effeffsee_the2nd said:

From a source claiming to be ITK ( my maw who used to work at the cooncil) this was talked about and decided upon long way back in the mid 2000, even when most of the businesses were still viable. The writing was on the wall that the days of high street as a busy shopping hub were behind it and it would revert to majority residential in future

Falkirk council spunked a fortune on a shopping mall in the 90s that mostly failed to live up to expectations. they were also desperate to get rid of Brockville and have Falkirk FC away from the town centre

Falkirk will be fine when it finally gets that Primark the Facebook maws have been begging for.

I came to the area not long after Callendar Square first opened, and most of the outlets were empty. Someone told me it was new, so might need some time to take off, but they were getting pretty desperate with council hubs and the like last time I was there. Am I right that it replaced another shopping centre that had been similarly unpopular?  

I heard a while back there was some thought going towards demolishing Callendar Square and replacing it with housing, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside.

[Suspect Device]

13 hours ago, BFTD said:

Cheesemonger. You'll be after tobacconists and greengrocers next.

There's a building in Alloa that still has an ironmonger's sign on it - there's something that Tesco and Asda haven't taken over.

Herbert Love in King Street. Used to be a 'specialist' tobacconist (which sounds dodgy) but has dropped that from the sign outside the shop.

[Sergeant Wilson]

2 minutes ago, Suspect Device said:

Herbert Love in King Street. Used to be a 'specialist' tobacconist (which sounds dodgy) but has dropped that from the sign outside the shop.

Looks like it just fell off.