Scott was reminded of the shops of his childhood when he read that there are more shop closures on our high streets than there are openings.
WHEN I was a child I would spend my summers staying with my Grandparents in Cornwall. I’d love the daily visit my Grandmother made to Camelford High Street, it would be something we’d look forward to. We’d visit the greengrocer and I’ll never forget the smell of all that fresh produce on display. We would follow that with a trip to the chemist (another distinct smell), and the bakery (my favourite as my sister and I would get a pastry treat). We would make happily slow progress to the various High Street shops picking up for the next 24 hours, then we’d do the whole thing again! The daily ritual of making that walk whatever the weather was a chance for her to hear the latest goings on in her community. The whole pace of the street seemed slower, there were more obstacles to navigate, not just the knots of people chatting, but trugs full of flowers in bloom, and displays of wares extending into the street. A decade or two later everything was removed to make way for new paving slabs. Research from the Local Data Company showed that 14 shops closed every day in the first half of this year, which was actually the lowest level of closures in seven years. From what I see in my travels around Reconnect, the high street is having a bit of a renaissance in South Devon. Last week I had to go into Exeter on the weekend. Something I’ve not done in a while. When I lived there a decade ago I always felt it had become a bit soulless since the new identikit shopping centre was built. But I was surprised to see a colourful umbrella art installation overhead and hear live performers on nearly every side street. There were three events happening in close proximity to each other, which made the high street a buzzing destination. Devon has an advantage of being an attraction to holidaymakers. Over decades this has meant our high Streets do not just have shops. They’re a warren of tea rooms, restaurants, ice cream parlours, and coffee shops. Before the contraction of the last few years town centres were also a place where people came for public services. Places to learn have however not disappeared, they’ve been replaced by centres of wellbeing, spaces to relax, to foster community and to feel good about ourselves. Whilst the local press continues to deliver headlines of major chains disappearing from local high streets, that’s not necessarily a bad thing; we are slowly changing how we shop and how we want to spend our weekends. Large chains are being replaced by small independent local community spaces, somewhere to stop and talk, to showcase healthy food, wellbeing practitioners, and local artists where the experience of the high street puts the heart back in the centre of towns and reminds me of those childhood memories. For many years the decline of the high street has been attributed to the rise of the online market. But that’s also changing, as even the smallest high street shops are familiar to some extent with e-commerce now, so you know what they stock before you leave the house. Farm shops and markets give us access to seasonal local produce. The tide has turned for physical shops; look no further than Amazon opening physical stores to see that’s the case. Though their horrible idea of no checkout people makes them a soulless mistake I believe. Earlier this year, Kevin Rushby, wrote piece titled ‘How to bring a high street back from the dead‘ where he announced: “The traditional high street of the last 50 years, founded on chain stores and well-known brands, is undergoing a brutal transformation.” I think he’s right, and that’s supported by figures from business research analysts LDC which show that the number of independent outlets has risen all over England in every region during the past year. Footfall on Devon high streets is increasing, and so is the amount of time we spend on the street. We’re definitely headed in the right direction, back to one of community and resilience. Canadian planner Brent Toderian, coined the phrase ‘sticky streets’ and it helped redesign cities all around the world. Toderian said: “The measurements for success from engineers were about how many cars or people we could move through a space as quickly as possible. But there was very little conversation about how people actually use, enjoy and love streets, and how lingering should actually be a measurable definition of success for a great street.” Pavements are no longer sterile thoroughfares, they’re getting re-covered in tables and chairs, in planting, with art installations, and people are talking, and that all helps us to stick around. southwesterlies… Scott