In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look at businesses and brands that came and went on our local high streets.
The Harrogate district has seen a range of national and independent retailers come and go on the high street this year.
A cinema in Ripon folded, Harrogate got its first world supermarket, and A-ha’s sound technician even opened a local bar.
And let’s not forget the Rooftop which opened to the public for a grand total of 48 hours…
Today, we’re looking back some standout moments on the district’s high streets.
Came – The Inn Collection Group opened three sites in the Harrogate district
Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough were all in the spotlight following the opening of a new Inn Collection hotel in each area.
The Inn Collection Group, which bought the former Dower House in Knaresborough along with the George Hotel in Harrogate and the Ripon Spa Hotel, markets its venues as ‘inns with rooms’.
All three sites got fresh new looks following multi-million pound makeovers.
The new Ripon Inn, which opened in October, has 58 bedrooms and two bars. The group’s managing director told the Stray Ferret the bill for the site was “close to eight figures”.
The Knaresborough Inn opened its doors in August. It no longer has a spa and gym but boasts 56 rooms compared to a previous 38.
Finally, The Harrogate Inn closed in January for refurbishments. It has a new entrance, a new bar and restaurant, 96 rooms and two new outdoor patio features.
The Knaresborough Inn.
Came – Jollyes pet store opens in Harrogate
A national pet chain, Jollyes, opened on Hookstone Park in September.
The store sells a wide range of pet foods, toys and bedding. It also offers a pet grooming service.
The Harrogate store is one of 95 sites in the UK and the company plans to open another 10 by the middle of 2024.
Went – national retailer Paperchase folds
Paperchase, which had a store on James Street in Harrogate, closed after the company went into administration in February.
As part of the closing down sale, the company sold off cards, gifts and stationery for up to 70% off – with cards going for as little as 10p.
Tesco bought the rights to the brand, entitling it to sell Paperchase items in its supermarkets, but did not buy the stores.
The move affected 106 Paperchase shops and more than 800 staff nationally.
Came – soft furnishing brand Sophie Allport came to James Street
Sophie Allport, an interior furnishing brand based in Lincolnshire, took over the former Phase Eight store in Harrogate.
The Harrogate branch, which opened in November, is the first outside its home county, with other stores in Stamford and Bourne.
It sells a range of homeware, including bedding and crockery, as well as home furnishings, accessories and gifts.
Founder Sophie Allport.
Went – The Rooftop’s two-day tenure in Harrogate
Our next restaurant possibly holds the title for being the most rapid open and closure in recent Harrogate history.
Mexican restaurant, The Rooftop, confirmed it had closed after just two days of trading in August.
Owner Mason Elyas told the Stray Ferret he had been involved in a dispute with business partners and planned to take legal action at the time. However, another restaurant has not yet opened.
Mr Elyas said he had lost £20,000 on the venture but, despite this, hoped to open another restaurant in Harrogate once this issue was resolved.
The restaurant, which was on Cheltenham Crescent, was the third restaurant to open and close in just over a year, following the closure of both Samson’s and HG1.
Came – Harrogate’s first world food supermarket opens
All Nations Supermarket, on Skipton Road, opened in September.
It stocks a wide variety of Asian, African, Middle Eastern and European foods and ingredients – the first of its kind in the town.
The store also has a butchers counter selling fresh meat and stocks halal foods too.
The opening created a real buzz on the Stray Ferret’s social media, with more than 1,000 people reacting to a post about the new venture.
All Nations Supermarket also sells Tik Tok-viral Buldak products, as well as a range of Asian spices, Middle Eastern desserts and even fresh fruit and vegetables.
Went – Curzon closed Ripon cinema
Ripon’s only cinema, Curzon, closed its doors in July this year.
The company said the venue faced “specific challenges” and site was “not suited to the long-term direction we have taken”.
Sterne Properties Ltd, which owns the North Street premises, announced in June it hoped to retain one of the cinema screens to become a volunteer-led community project.
It hopes to have the building back open to the public next year, however, no further developments have been announced yet.
Curzon.
Came – Amy Winehouse’s sound engineer opens record shop and bar in Harrogate
Dave Swallows, who has worked with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Erasure, James and A-ha, opened a vinyl coffee house and bar in May.
AAA (pronounced triple-A) on Cold Bath Road sells clothing and vinyl records, as well as serves coffee, food and alcohol.
Mr Swallows, who is originally from Southend-on-Sea but has lived in Harrogate for 16 years, told the Stray Ferret:
“Last July, I was touring with A-ha, playing Rio de Janeiro and the Hollywood Bowl, and then just two days later I was back here, being handed the keys to this place.”
Maybe one day A-ha will decide to Take On the town for one night only…
Went – Joules closed Harrogate store in second blow to James Street
Paperchase was not the only major retailer to closed its doors in Harrogate this year – as Joules saw the same fate.
The closure, which happened in May, came after the company fell into administration in 2022.
However, Next rescued it by paying £34 million for the business, plus £7 million for the head office.
The closing notice did not state a reason for the decision, but added the nearest Joules store is now Ilkley.
Mint Velvet later took on the former Joules site.
Came – Knaresborough banking hub opened to town
Knaresborough’s first banking hub, Cash Access UK, opened its doors in November.
It is a not-for-profit company set up by 10 major high-street banking providers to protect the public’s access to cash.
The hub, on Bowling Green Yard, offers customers of all major banks and building societies the chance to carry out regular cash transactions, from Monday to Friday.
It also provides a community banker service whereby customers can talk to their own bank about more complicated issues.
Community bankers from Natwest, Halifax, Santander, HSBC and Barclays work on rotation at the hub.
Knaresborough Town crier at the opening of the new banking hub.
Went – Ripon said goodbye to M&Co after 44 years of trading
Retailer M&Co went into administration for the second time last December and subsequently closed its doors in Ripon in April.
The website, brand and intellectual property were bought by Yours Clothing — but the shops were not.
This meant all 170 stores, including Ripon which had been open since 1979, had to close.
Around 1,900 employees were affected nationally.
Came – new bar and restaurant 1858 opened in Knaresborough
1858, Knaresborough’s newest bar and restaurant, opened in the former NatWest site in August.
The venue offers lunch and evening meals, Sunday roasts and drinks.
Kim Lancaster, who runs the venue, said the experience is more like “elegant fine-dining” than a “Wetherspoons quick in-and-out” type experience.
Its name derives from the year in which the building was constructed.
Went – Leon closed in Harrogate after nine month tenure
Fast food chain Leon closed its doors in Harrogate in April.
The drive-through’s closure came just nine months after it opened on Wetherby Road.
Starbucks looks set to open in the former Leon site.
It began advertising for staff in earlier this month after North Yorkshire Council approved plans to change the signage outside.
Came – Mandarin Stone opened Harrogate store
National retailer Mandarin Stone opened its doors in Harrogate in November.
The company, which sells a wide range natural stone, porcelain and decorative tiles, took over the former Lynx Menswear unit on West Park.
The Harrogate showroom is the 15th of its kind and the most northerly Mandarin Stone site.
Director Carl Ryan said the company’s “knowledge, passion and enthusiasm” for the industry set it apart in the market.
The Mandarin Stone team.
Went – Harrogate Tea Rooms closed after 13 years
The Harrogate Tea Rooms, in Westminster Arcade, closed with immediate effect in October.
Owners Carrie and Tony Wilkinson announced the news on social media and said the day-to-day running costs were not translating into profit.
They added they would, however, continue making scones for delivery.
Their post said:
“We are as sad and shocked as some of you will be.
“Our tenancy with the new landlord was up for renewal, but with increased rent, energy and food costs, lower than ever footfall, our out-of-the-way location and possibly the ever increasing amount of new coffee shops near us, it has forced our decision to unfortunately not be able to move forward with the business.
The Harrogate Tea Rooms was featured in The Harrogate Crime Series by Malcolm Hollingdrake.
Mr and Ms Wilkinson said DCI Cyril Bennett, one of the main characters, will live “in our hearts and memories”, and “will forever be drinking tea from a China cup”.
Read more:
- ‘I just want my husband back’ – The Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2023
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Harrogate Tea Rooms closes immediately
The Harrogate Tea Rooms in Westminster Arcade has closed with immediate effect.
Owners Carrie and Tony Wilkinson, who have run the business for 13 years, announced the news “with heavy hearts” on social media last night.
They said the day-to-day running costs were not translating into profit.
Their post said:
“We are as sad and shocked as some of you will be.
“Our tenancy with the new landlord was up for renewal, but with increased rent, energy and food costs, lower than ever footfall, our out-of-the-way location and possibly the ever increasing amount of new coffee shops near us, it has forced our decision to unfortunately not be able to move forward with the business.
“It is truly a challenging time for many small businesses.
“We have a massively supportive team of thousands of followers but it is the day to day running costs and effort that is just not translating into profit.
“Obviously that is not sustainable, so we have had to take the decision to walk away.”
They added they tried to sell the business “but there is currently no market for the many local tea rooms/cafes up for sale”.
The post thanked customers and added they will continue to make scones for delivery.
The Harrogate Tea Rooms was featured in The Harrogate Crime Series by Malcolm Hollingdrake.
Mr and Ms Wilkinson said DCI Cyril Bennett, one of the main characters, will live “in our hearts and memories”, and ‘will forever be drinking tea from a China cup”.
Read more:
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Mixed picture for Harrogate town centre as jubilee celebrations end
The jubilee weekend may have been one of celebrations for communities but it was a mixed picture for businesses in Harrogate town centre.
The Harrogate Tea Rooms in the Westminster Arcade was among those to say the jubilee did not prove to be a recipe for success as it had its worst ever Saturday, after 10 years in business.
Tony Wilkinson, who owns the business with his wife Carrie, told the Stray Ferret:
“We had a good Friday and the Thursday was OK too. But Saturday was 70% lower than normal.
“We did open on Sunday, which we don’t usually, but it was very quiet.”
Despite support from customers on social media, even the celebratory high tea menu was not enough to draw patrons away from events elsewhere.
Not sure about where all the events were, but for us that was our worst Saturday EVER!!!
— The Harrogate Tea Rooms (@HarrogateTeaRms) June 5, 2022
Around the corner at Baltzersen’s on Oxford Street, Saturday and Sunday also proved to be quiet. However, owner Paul Rawlinson was philosophical:
“We’ve served a lot of guests and hopefully delivered a positive experience for everyone that chose to visit us. We appreciate the ongoing support of families in Harrogate and Wetherby.
“In terms of the business, we saw a hugely increased demand on Thursday and Friday but recorded quietest weekend days of the last six months over the weekend.
“Weather will have been a factor and the end of the school half-term holidays can often lead to a quieter weekends too. The differences largely cancelled each other out so in many ways it was business as usual.”
Read more:
- How the Harrogate district celebrated the jubilee
- Jubilee boom for independent shops in Harrogate district
At food retailer Cook on West Park, trade was also slow across the weekend. However, shop leader Mike Jarvis said the previous few days had been extremely busy as people stocked up ready for the bank holiday.
“We had such a big surge from Monday to Wednesday. Home deliveries were up for us too.
“We do a lot of buffet food and we had coronation chicken and Eton mess parfait – all good things for street parties.”
Working across the company’s shops in Harrogate and Moortown, Mr Jarvis said the picture was similar, as it was at Cook branches around the country.
Harry Gration opens the Little Bird Artisan Market for the Queen’s platinum jubilee in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens
Among those who did very well during the jubilee weekend itself were the traders at Little Bird Artisan Markets, which had events in Knaresborough and in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens. Managing director Jackie Crozier said:
“We are absolutely delighted with how the platinum jubilee celebrations have gone over the weekend. We have delivered seven events over four days including Knaresborough and, of course, Harrogate for three days.
“I have lost count of the amount of traders who have said they have had their best trading day ever.
“This weekend was just what the country needed and especially our artisan traders. It was so wonderful to be part of so many events working alongside local councils.
“As we have our regular artisan market on the first Sunday of the month in Valley Gardens, it was great to see so many of our regular customers returning.”
The weekend was also a success for the Harrogate Bus Company. Partnering with Harrogate BID, it offered free travel on its electric services between the town centre and Jennyfield, Harlow Hill and Bilton.
Managing director Alex Hornby tweeted that passenger numbers were significantly up on previous comparable dates.
⚡️ Amazing news following a busy #PlatinumJubilee in Harrogate: our #JubileeFreeway of free buses on #HarrogateElectrics saw:
⬆️ Thu +25% more customers than May Day
⬆️ Fri +51% v May Day
⬆️ Sat +60% above average of last three Sats
⬆️ Sun +34% above average of last three Suns pic.twitter.com/GGpzk6umGc— Alex Hornby (@alexhornbybus) June 6, 2022
Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate BID which also helped to organise the Jubilee Square events on Montpellier Hill, said:
“I was in town every day of the celebrations and there were certainly plenty of people around.
“Each of four days of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations saw thousands of people visit Jubilee Square.
“We deliberately didn’t have any food and drink concessions at Jubilee Square, as we hoped those coming to it would go into town either before, or after, and patronise our pubs, bars and restaurants – which they did!
“The ‘Jubilee Freeway’ brought passengers travelling on electric buses into town for free on Thursday through to Sunday, and the numbers riding these buses was significantly more than for previous bank holidays and the last three weekends.
“We also had street entertainers on three of the four days, which were very well receive, and again gave people another reason to come into town.”