STREET LIFE
PHOTOS BY DERRYN VRANCH
Chris Barclay at The Yellow Shop, where you’ll discover quirky, vintage finds
Street and Broad Street, as Trish Fairbeard explains. “We are tucked away and have the most adorable courtyard out the front of our building,” she says. “We want more people to walk up those steps from Walcot Street and come in and say hello, do a fitness class, use our nursery and conferencing facilities, or stay with us. “We’ve had a building in Bath for over 163 years,” she adds. “The YMCA is the largest and oldest youth charity in the world – there are now 114 across England, each one autonomous and a thriving and active community that transforms lives.” The easy-to-miss Walcot Chapel, which frequently comes alive with exhibitions, is a favourite of Emma Rose Arts Works; one of Farpoint’s favourite lunch stops is the pop-up garden on the corner of the car park outside The Hilton; Graham and Green enjoy the escapism of the secret garden at the back of The Fig Store and the hidden green space next to Walcot Chapel in Walcot Gate; and Harvest’s team can’t get enough of the Wild Walcot Gardens, created by Vegmead Community Group. “We can see it from our window, and it’s turned a bit of a blot on Walcot Street into a vibrant little green space,” says Suzannah at Harvest.
Lola Berenbaum at vegetarian wholefoods store Harvest
GOLDILOCKS
WAS ALLEGEDLY WRITTEN AT OUR ADDRESS
WHAT WOULD MAKE IT BETTER?
Many retailers agree that more promotion of the area would be beneficial and may increase footfall, as Tom at Farpoint explains. STAND-OUT SPOTS The street’s business owners’ favourite neighbouring shops... “Walcot House, which replaced Club XL, is a new venue for dining, music and dancing. If you want your bike repaired, go to Johns Bikes; if you fancy a bite to eat, try a sausage roll from Made by Ben; for a late-night takeaway, Schwartz Bros burgers are some of the best. We also have a hairdressers (Melanie Giles), vintage clothing shop (The Yellow Shop), charity shop (Save the Children) and one of the last true pubs in Bath, The Bell!” Tom Smallman at Farpoint Developments
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“The Fig Store is next door to me. I’m full of admiration for their rather sexy interiors all in grey tones – although it goes against my ethos of colour, colour, colour!” Emma Rose of Emma Rose Art Works “We enjoy lunch at Aqua to rest after shopping.” Charlie Salter at Etons of Bath “Harvest supplies the people of Bath with organic produce and a wide selection of ethically sourced goods that would normally be hard to find.” Julija Atgalainyte at Avenida Home
“Walcot Street provides a diversity of stores and services, but the introduction of the SouthGate shopping district drew a lot of the footfall away from us. Despite this, there’s a distinct selection of the population who prefer the quieter scene and the individuality of Walcot Street. “If there was to be more promotions to draw people up to this end of town, it would benefit the local businesses and show off another side of Bath’s history that is often bypassed.” For Julija at Avenida Home, a newcomer she’d like to welcome would be a cosy coffee shop – as she was sad to see the popular Sam’s Kitchen close its doors; Graham and Green’s team would like to see the few empty shops in the street transformed with window displays to make the most of the spaces until they’re filled; Ann-Marie at Rossiters says a dry cleaners would be an ideal addition, and Etons of Bath would like a sandwich shop as close as possible to their showroom. Simon from Spilsbury Illustration adds a practical point, “Potentially, Walcot is a creative hotbed with the surfeit of talent residing in the city. But with square footage at a premium, most are priced out of the market. If Bath wants to be a creative force, there needs to be flexibility and long-term vision for the provision of affordable space. Turning The Corn Exchange into a creative enterprise seems the obvious thing to do and would create the perfect gateway to Walcot’s creative emporium.” “Our favourite is DidiCakes – a wonderful place for cakes, tarts, quiches and sausage rolls. Scrumptious.” Ann-Marie James at Rossiters “I like lunch at The Fine Cheese Co., and I go to Shannon for great gifts.” Trish Fairbeard at YMCA Bath Group “Corkage is a great addition, and Meticulous Ink is an eyeful of quality.” Simon Spilsbury at Spilsbury Illustration “I love popping in to chat with Bronwyn in her lovely tile-making studio tucked away at Old Orchard.” Katherine Fraser at Katherine Fraser