Simplifying Life - Mark II

2cats1kid

That's a great article, ceridwen. I like the idea of unused shops being put to good use. Heck, if I could hire the old Woolies shop by the hour at a reasonable rate I'd do it in an instant - would be a great site for me. And it would be nice to have street theatre, or some decent musicians in the town centre. Maybe evening markets, which would help those of us who work and can't get to daytime ones?

DH and I were talking about it and we don't use the high street for "uniform" things like CDs and DVDs and even cameras and stuff that once you have decided what you want you can buy it online cheaper. I only really "shop" for things that need to be fresh (fruit and veg, and even then I'll tend to do Mr T online for most stuff) or need to be tried on like clothes and shoes. I don't like buying clothes online as if it doesn't fit or looks awful there is the faff of getting to the Post Office to return it, so I might as well have gone into town in the first place. So the high streets need to be offering more than just shops to get people back there. Creches maybe, so that mums can shop in peace for an hour or so. Food for thought.

seraphina

2cats1kid wrote: »

That's a great article, ceridwen. I like the idea of unused shops being put to good use. Heck, if I could hire the old Woolies shop by the hour at a reasonable rate I'd do it in an instant - would be a great site for me. And it would be nice to have street theatre, or some decent musicians in the town centre. Maybe evening markets, which would help those of us who work and can't get to daytime ones?

DH and I were talking about it and we don't use the high street for "uniform" things like CDs and DVDs and even cameras and stuff that once you have decided what you want you can buy it online cheaper. I only really "shop" for things that need to be fresh (fruit and veg, and even then I'll tend to do Mr T online for most stuff) or need to be tried on like clothes and shoes. I don't like buying clothes online as if it doesn't fit or looks awful there is the faff of getting to the Post Office to return it, so I might as well have gone into town in the first place. So the high streets need to be offering more than just shops to get people back there. Creches maybe, so that mums can shop in peace for an hour or so. Food for thought.

I've lost any sympathy I had for the high street, if only for one reason - their failure to change their opening hours. We have a fairly typical small town high street - we have a Boots, a Woolies, and lots of independent shops like cobblers, motorfactors, hardware and a bakers. Yet the only shops that are open beyond 5:30pm are Tescos and the takeaways.

Our local independent retailers don't really seem to be helping themselves to survive in this respect. People who work tend to be the people with money to spend so why not make it as easy as possible to spend locally? I bet if retailers shut for an hour or two in the middle of the day, and reopened for 3 hours in the evening it would be more profitable.

2cats1kid

That's why I said about evening markets, seraphina. I don't know that they'd shut in the middle of the day, as I bet they get a lot of people who go into town of their lunch break. But I can remember the town I grew up in, they had early closing on Thursday and then stayed open late on market day (Friday).

If there was an evening market (probably have a really nice atmosphere, maybe like the continental markets that places have now and then) then you can bet if it was a success the retailers would start opening later to get the increased footfall from people going to the market.

rosieben

It certainly is time for retailers to be thinking differently about how they trade. I love the idea of street markets, anytime and anywhere and maybe councils should be encouraging/initiating this kind of scheme. We all know how successful Farmers Markets have become. Other traders would surely do as well?

I hate to see boarded up shops, its most depressing and gives the whole area a run down look that can only deter potential customers. I'd love to see charities, local groups and organisations, etc able to use these premises if only for short term projects;

There are a lot of challenges and more high street names to fall, but there are also opportunities! lets hope someone with influence will start the ball rolling with new ideas like yours 2cats.

Charis

seraphina wrote: »

Our local independent retailers don't really seem to be helping themselves to survive in this respect. People who work tend to be the people with money to spend so why not make it as easy as possible to spend locally? I bet if retailers shut for an hour or two in the middle of the day, and reopened for 3 hours in the evening it would be more profitable.

There are a lot of areas where this would be a big inconvenience. In urban areas a lot of older people are afraid of going out after the schools have emptied out and/or during the dark at this time of year. In rural areas many people are dependent on public transport, which is very thin on the ground after dark. All those people would be forced to shop during the morning, after the 'rush hour'. It would also make retail work a split shift, many workers could not get home and back in the break. 2cats' idea of having an early closing day (or even two) followed by a late night opening/market would work well. We've had a number of late night markets in this town, the last being a Christmas market with food stalls and entertainers as well as extended shopping hours. I hear it was very well attended, although I was unable to go due to illness.

mary43

Like the idea of an evening market but for a town like ours where many of the smaller shops are family run it would maybe interfere too much with family life as such.
We have early closing day here but not all the shops close and those that do, some are half day and some are the whole day.......very confusing.

Well I've now de-cluttered my computer desk drawers - loads of stuff I'd printed out that might do for next christmas, plus some family tree stuff, all now in respective folders and labelled. Another small step but big one for me.

Just heard that Mum not so good.........last lot of antibiotics have finished so next three days are crucial we're told.

mags50_2

Hope it goes well for your Mum (((Mary43)))

luckys_mum

Here in Northern Ireland it is the local council which dictates shop and market opening hours. Over the weekend before Christmas there was a Continental market in our town and the first day being a Saturday the opening hours were from 10am until 5pm.
The council didnt allow the market to open until 12 noon on the Sunday and had to close at 5pm. The local goverment would need to reconsider opening hours to allow traders to operate to hours that suit shoppers not council.

ceridwen

rosieben wrote: »

It certainly is time for retailers to be thinking differently about how they trade. I love the idea of street markets, anytime and anywhere and maybe councils should be encouraging/initiating this kind of scheme. We all know how successful Farmers Markets have become. Other traders would surely do as well?

I hate to see boarded up shops, its most depressing and gives the whole area a run down look that can only deter potential customers. I'd love to see charities, local groups and organisations, etc able to use these premises if only for short term projects;

There are a lot of challenges and more high street names to fall, but there are also opportunities! lets hope someone with influence will start the ball rolling with new ideas like yours 2cats.

Good point....I tend to think one must always regard all adversity as opportunity in disguise...the silver lining to every cloud.

I think we all recognise that there are soon going to be a lot of empty shop premises with signs above them offering them for lease. These places shouldnt just be consigned to be yet another charity shop (nowt against charity shops - but there does come a point when every charity that goes in for shops is already represented...and then what?). These buildings are all usable space/resources available to us all...so the question is what do we want to do with them?

Generally speaking - I dont want to have the vision of lifeless/boarded-up streets in my mind. Even in our cold climate I think an element of "Street Life" is possible...pavement cafes has been a positive development in my book...buskers out on the streets also and we do get some pretty good ones and its nice to stop for a musical interlude. Not sure how well the Passagieta would do in Britain....a very civilised/sociable habit that I have made a point of taking part in when I was in countries that do this...maybe in the summer months here possibly?

Time for further thought on this.....

pagangirl

Mary - you gave me the incentive to get rid of some family stuff I've kept for ages but didn't really want. Example - Dad died 1972 aged 69. Mum kept all his 70 rpm records (about 30 of 'em) on top of wardrobe in her back bedroom coz she couldn't play any of them. Mum died in 2000 - since then I've had them here - realised the other other week I'd had them for 7 years+ -and I can't play them either !!! Why was I keeping them -any ideas? (the only one I ever liked was 'Albert and the Lion' so you can tell how old they were)
Since then, asked Oxfam shop (large shop here, takes furniture etc.), they said they would take them as someone had donated old phonogram - they put both together and someone bought the lot! Result -I have more space, Oxfam have money in pot and a happy customer.
Did think of putting them on eB** but with them being so fragile (not vinyl) wasn't sure if they'd break in post.
Have had lots of lightbulb moments from reading this thread !