22
Jun
Westminster Arcade business owners mourn the 'vibrancy' lost in Harrogate
Owners of the small businesses in Westminster Arcade have called for the next local MP to restore the “vibrancy” to Harrogate town centre.
Ahead of the upcoming election, the Stray Ferret headed to the Arcade to find out about the issues faced by small businesses in Harrogate and what they think the local MP needs to do about them.
On a dreary Wednesday morning, the weather was matched by the picture of Harrogate painted by the Arcade business owners.
Linda Le Floch, who has owned Quality Health Foods for 19 years, told the Stray Ferret she missed the “vibrancy” that used to encompass Harrogate.
She called for the next MP to be “someone really keen on the town, with fresh ideas, to bring Harrogate back to the vibrant place it was”.
Linda Le Floch.
Pete, co-owner of record shop Evil Eye Vinyl, also reminisced on the town that Harrogate used to be when he was a child. He said:
Harrogate was a fantastic town to grow up in. Now it has lost its character and become a faceless place.
One of the reasons that Pete suggests for the demise of the town centre is the closure of Debenhams in January 2021. Aside from becoming an “eyesore,” he says the loss of the store has directly affected businesses like his because the footfall to the Arcade has dropped significantly.
Neil Thomson, co-owner of jewellery and gift shop Shine, also pointed out the “major loss” for independent businesses on Parliament Street that the closure of Debenhams caused.
He called for the building to be revamped. Mr Thomson added:
Something needs to be done with the building. I don’t care what, just as long as it’s something.
Mr Thomson said he felt that Andrew Jones, who was MP until the dissolution of parliament, could have promoted the use of the high street as “so many independent shops have had to close”.
He called for the next MP to prioritise controlling business rates to keep them affordable.
He added:
It can be quite a vibrant arcade when visitors are around, but we find locals don’t come in.
Neil Thomson.
This sentiment was echoed by Sarah Ann, owner of Sarahann’s Jewellers, who said:
I tend to get tourists mainly. Locals have no idea what’s in here. But we have to support local businesses. We wouldn’t like to live in a world where we had no town centres.
When Sarah opened her jewellery business 15 years ago, Parliament Street was a prime location, lined with independent shops. She said:
Now they have gone, I don’t have the passing trade that I used to.
The consensus among the small business owners of Westminster Arcade that Harrogate appears to be that the town is not what it used to be.
For them, the responsibility for its future now falls in the hands of the next local MP to push for the revitalisation of the town centre.
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