Two Ripon Solemates will be getting together in springFashion retailer Jules B to open in Harrogate

Fashion retailer Jules B is to open a shop in Harrogate at the start of September.

The shop, which will be in the former Jaeger unit on Cambridge Crescent, will sell only womenswear.

It becomes the latest national retailer this month to confirm plans to move to Harrogate, after Oliver Bonas and Pret A Manger.

Julian Blades, managing director of Jules B, said its brands “will be perfect for the sophisticated customer demographic in Harrogate and surrounding areas”.

He added:

“We have wanted to open in Harrogate for a very long time but never found the right location but once I saw that the old Jaeger unit was available we decided the time was right.

“The store will be purely womenswear and we have some very exciting new collections that I’m sure will prove very popular with the discerning public.

“We will be looking for four full time members of staff and two part time, preferably with a good fashion retail background.”

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Mr Blades and his wife, Rhona, opened their first womenswear store in Jesmond in 1984.

The retailer offers collections by designers, including Hugo Boss, Armani, Victoria Beckham, Barbour and Vivienne Westwood.

Jackie Wilson, property manager for landlord Hornbeam Park Developments, said:

“We are delighted to have secured award-winning independent retailer Jules B as a tenant in the former Jaeger Shop on Cambridge Crescent; a great addition to the high street which will enhance the shopping experience of locals and visitors alike.”

Brown plaque to commemorate Harrogate’s royal fashion designer

A brown plaque is to be erected outside one of Harrogate’s oldest and best-known clothes shops.

Property expert Alex Goldstein, with the support of local historian Malcolm Neesam, successfully applied to erect the plaque outside gentlemen’s outfitters Rhodes Wood. on Parliament Street.

The shop used to belong to Mr Goldstein’s great grandfather Louis Copé, a fashion designer whose female emporium opened on the site in 1922.

Mr Copé was a Polish designer whose high society customers over the years included Queen Mary, her daughter Princess Mary and Agatha Christie. The shop operated under royal patronage.

The store itself featured in the film Agatha, starring Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave.

Louis Copé

Mr Copé moved to Harrogate because he believed the pure air would help his asthma. Mr Goldstein, who still lives in the area, said:

“I am so pleased to have been able to mark the history and story of my great grandfather, whose fashion house spanned decades and formed important memories for so many people in and around Harrogate.

“It has been lovely hearing people’s memories and visiting the Pump Rooms to actually see some of the garments that were made in his sewing rooms which are stored there.”

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Jeremy Beaumont, who owns Rhodes Wood, has been supportive of preserving the history of the building.

“When we took over the store in 1997, there were still many of the original features and cabinets in the shop, in such good quality and condition, that we still have them in the store to this day, literally 100 years later. The quality of the store fittings must have been superb, and to a very high standard.

“It is our pleasure to recognise the past history of the building, and we are delighted to host the plaque outside for everyone to see”.

The plaque is due to go up any day now.

Mr Goldstein is asking for anyone with memories from Louis Copé, or even items of clothing and hats etc, to contact him at alex@alexgoldstein.co.uk.

 

 

Ripon department store hopes summer trade will secure its future

Wrens, the Ripon department store that is home to 55 independent retailers, reopened on Tuesday, hoping that summer trade will secure its future.

Owner Mark Butler,  told The Stray Ferret:

“The lockdown period has been an extremely difficult time for all of the businesses here and I think as we gradually come out of it, it will be a case of battening down the hatches and hanging on in there, hoping that the loyal customer base that has supported us, returns as we re-open our doors.”

Day trippers, visitors and holiday makers who stay in the Ripon area, make up 65 percent of the store’s customer base. With air travel out for many this summer, retailers hope that more people will stay in the holiday homes and nearby caravan sites and come to the city to spend their money.

Mr Butler pointed out:

“If we can get over the next few months and also see our tearoom re-open, it can help set us up for Christmas, which is always our most important trading time of the year.”

 

Wrens was established seven years ago, when the Fishergate premises, previously occupied by the Philip Hall department store, was transformed into an outlet that helps small independent retailers enter the market place at low financial risk, with affordable short to medium term leases.

The success of the concept, launched by Mr Butler and his wife, Philomena, can be seen in different parts of the city: Fig & Willow gift-shop, Antiques and Collectables, Eastwick handbags and the Easylearn toy shop, are all among Ripon retailers, formerly based at Wrens, who now have their own shops.

The department store continues to feature an eclectic mixture of retailers, from a cooper who turns the ends of barrels into unique clocks, to a trader who sells vintage toys and train sets.

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In addition to handmade gifts, cards and collectables, there is a large women’s wear section and furniture department.

In 2014  Wrens received recognition for the ingenious way in which it nurtures new retail businesses with an award from the small business network and advice hub, Ingenious Britain,.

Now, Mr Butler and the retailers that he works with, will be showing all the ingenuity that they can to ensure that they make it through the tough times that lie ahead.