Alt.Cardiff magazine: The indie business crime issue

Alt.Cardiff December 2021 - Issue 1

If it’s offbeat and in Cardiff, then it’s in here

Criminal Damage How the capital’s independent businesses are being affected by crime + Covid Pass Problems + LGBTQ+ Sports + How Covid changed the life of one indie cinema owner

News / Alt.Cardiff

Passport to problems?

Venues added to Covid pass scheme face upset from some members of the public, reveals Hannah Watkin

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enues added to the Welsh government’s Covid pass scheme are “caught in the crossfire” of opposing public views about the pandemic, according to one Cardiff venue owner.

Cinemas, theatres and concert halls were added to the scheme on Monday 15 November after the Senedd voted to amend the law.

Previously, only nightclubs and large events were required to make visitors show Covid passes.

Andy Eagle, chief executive officer at Chapter Arts Centre, said the venue has received angry feedback from some members of the public after it announced visitors would have to show a valid NHS Covid pass or proof of a negative lateral flow test to enter.

“People ask ‘Why is Chapter doing this?’,” Andy said, “But we haven’t got a choice – it’s the law. We’re caught in the crossfire of policy and people’s reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The Welsh government justified the extension by saying it was a means to keep businesses open and people safe while Wales is at alert level zero but statistics show coronavirus cases continue to increase at quite a rate.

Ben Rive, manager of Snowcat Cinema in Penarth Pier Pavilion, said he received similar angry responses online. However, he explained that in-person responses have been positive, with some customers saying the scheme is what has now led them to feel safe enough to return back to his audience at last.

This contrast between those who claim the passes will increase the likelihood of them visiting venues, and those who claim the passes will lead them to boycott venues, is adding to venue owners’ uncertainty as to what effect, if any, the passes will have on their businesses.

Cheers! Nonalcoholic drink sales are on the up. Credit: Hannah Watkin

Bottoms up! but the volumes are down The manager of two popular cocktail bars in Cardiff says that non-alcoholic drinks are increasing in popularity. Daniel Slater, general manager of Gin and Juice and its sister bar Rum and Fizz, revealed that mocktail sales, as well as sales for other non-alcoholic drinks at his venues, are on the up. “People want the same taste of drinks, but without the hangover in the morning,” Daniel said.

Running with pride LGBTQ+ running club The Cardiff Foxes have got off to a flying start in Cardiff. The club provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals who like running to meet other runners from the community. “Running [alone] can be incredibly daunting for queer people,” founder Richard Lewis explained.

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Credit: Canva

Covid passes are now the new normal. Credit: Hannah Watkin

Interviews / Alt.Cardiff

‘At times, it felt like my dream was over’ Indie cinema owner Ben Rive explains how he survived the challenges of the pandemic

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hen film fan Benjamin Rive started a pop-up cinema at a friend’s Cardiff pub in 2016, he never imagined it would grow much beyond him sharing his passion for film with a small monthly audience. However, by February 2020, Snowcat Cinema was showing daily sold-out screenings in Penarth Pier Pavilion.

“I’m very glad I didn’t give up the day job” For Ben, a project manager for Cardiff council, what started as a hobby had quickly developed into something much more challenging.

“I was doing a full-time job on top of a full-time job,” says the 44-yearold, “But when most of that is being in a cinema watching films, it doesn’t really feel like work.”

However, encouraged by his wife Nicola and overflowing with an enthusiasm for cinema, Ben began to consider quitting his job at the council to focus solely on running Snowcat. Then the pandemic hit.

“When I had to close the doors, I felt absolutely devastated,” he says, smile fading as he thinks back to cancelling events which were set to be Snowcat’s most successful yet. “I was very glad I hadn’t given up my day job,” he reveals honestly.

Lucky in lockdown

But having recovered from the initial disappointment of the pandemic, Ben (pictured above) found new ways to continue sharing his love for films, holding film watchalongs and quizzes on the cinema’s YouTube channel. Thinking back, he says, “I felt like I should take advantage of lockdown to try and do something different.”

Sympathetic to others’ difficult experiences during the pandemic, Ben says he was lucky to have found positives during lockdown.

With increased spare time, Ben enjoyed relaxing and going for more walks with Nicola and their two westies, Artie and Penny.

Back to the future

However, when cinemas reopened in July 2020, Ben realised the Pavilion still couldn’t open because of social distancing. “It felt like my dream was over,” he admits.

Thankfully, it wasn’t, and Snowcat Cinema reopened successfully in August this year. But although running the indie cinema still gives Ben much joy, his future plans have changed. “I’m much more aware of the fragility of it,” he says, before admitting, “And I’ve come to terms with the fact it’s never going to be my full-time day job.”

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When’s closing for busin

After a year of disruption from stabbing Cardiff’s independent business owners

Above: Bute Park following vandalism last September.

Credit: M. Jones Left: St Mary Street, site of one alleged stabbing last November.

Credit: Taylor Floyd Mews

Image Credits Police car: Ashley Harkness Other images and graphics from Canva

g time ness crime?

gs, break-ins and vandalism, s are saying enough’s enough

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wning an independent business is not a job for the fainthearted. From managing finances to customer service, small business owners face many challenges every day. Crime, however, is one issue out of the control of business owners, but one which the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) warns has a “devastating” impact on their day to day lives and livelihoods.

The financial costs of crimes such as break-ins and vandalism can “prevent small businesses from achieving their potential and growing,” said Rob Basini, development manager at FSB South Wales.

He also stressed how crime can put shopkeepers and their staff at physical risk, and how this (alongside crime’s financial effects) can seriously affect independent business owners’ mental health.

“Crime has a devasating impact on small business owners’ lives and livelihoods” In November 2021, Jojo Maman Bebe Cardiff‘s regional store manager Sophie Iles and the community of independent business owners who inhabit the Royal Arcade were left shaken after a fight and alleged stabbing occurred suddenly within the arcade early one Wednesday morning.

Because Sophie’s customers are mostly pregnant women and individuals with young children, incidents like November’s are particularly worrying for her business. “My main concern now is how it could affect our trade,” the 30-year-old explained, “People may be more hesitant to come in.”

Features / Alt.Cardiff Another issue affecting Cardiff businesses is the threat posed by vandalism. On the morning of 10 September 2021, Cardiff council and South Wales Police received reports of “significant criminal damage” to Bute Park. Vandals had cut down 50 trees, damaged drains and bins, and attacked properties within the park boundaries.

Melissa Boothman, owner of the Secret Garden cafe in Bute Park, called September’s incident “an attack on the heart of Cardiff” in a video which she posted on the cafe’s Instagram page.

Melissa’s plea in the video Tony Frawley and for anyone who had any Sophie Iles worry potential information about the about future crimes in their businesses’ area. vandalism to come forward and speak to the police echoes Credit: Hannah Watkin the words of South Wales Police’s local policing Inspector Darren Grady when asked to comment about how the police are working to protect independent businesses from similar incidents of violent behaviour. “Incidents of antisocial behaviour can quickly escalate, and often have a profound and lasting impact on those who are victims,” he said. “Too often we see incidents appear on social media that have not been reported. We ask that the community work with us, and if you see or experience any antisocial behaviour, please report it to us immediately on 101, or via our social media.”

In today’s society, nobody is safe Tony Frawley, director of Scaramantica pizzeria on Penylan Road, says his main concern is his staff being attacked while travelling to and from the business. “In today’s society, nobody is safe,” Tony said. To increase confidence, the 59-year-old attends a self-defence class and has encouraged his staff to participate as well. “You have to take these measures,” he warned seriously, “Because the other alternative is you get stabbed, or beaten.”

In May this year, Anatoni’s, a pizzeria on Wellfield Road which Tony previously directed, was broken into in one of several break-ins on the road this summer. Thinking about the mental and physical

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effect that incidents such as these break-ins have had on independent business owners in the area, Tony said, “It puts people on edge, [because] you have to be so vigilant, all of the time.”

Tony made it clear that the community remains shaken from what appears to be an increasing problem. However, recent crime statistics released by the Office for National Statistics suggest that crime was actually falling in South Wales in the time leading up to the break-ins on Wellfield Road. From June 2020June 2021, South Wales Police recorded 617 fewer non-residential burglaries than in the previous year, and 596 fewer cases of criminal damage and arson. The force saw a five percent decrease in the total number of crimes they recorded over the same comparative time period. However, what these police recorded crime figures don’t show is whether or not the severity of the crimes they record is increasing.

Supporting indie business owners The FSB believes a lot more should be done by the UK government and regional police forces to tackle the problem of small business crime in the future.

Rob explained that because of the pandemic, it appears as if solving the problem of small business crime has had to “go on the back burner” for a lot of authorities. But the people of Cardiff can still support our local independent business owners by continuing to shop with them often, and by reporting any crimes seen to South Wales Police

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Image Credits Police van: Oli Woodman Cover image: ShaHm Nomadic