[WilfBurnsFan]

I went to Leeds yesterday for the first time in a decade (it's a city I knew pretty well in the early 80s). Amazed by the upmarket quality retail in the Victoria Quarter (the Edwardian arcades area) - the sort of thing we should have in Grainger Town, but don't [and more or less fully occupied, and busy]. But I was also gobsmacked to see that Lewis's - which in my time was THE department store - has folded and the building is now occupied by a Sainsbury's, and - the ultimate insult - an Argos and a TK Maxx. It couldn't be worse if the whole place had become a poundland. Anyway, that go me thinking - all the wishes expressed here for Newcastle to get a Selfridges, a Harvey Nichols etc - what could happen is that we might lose far more than we gain. Would gaining a Selfridges be worth it for the loss of Fenwicks? It could happen here.

 

[kieron79]

I went to Leeds yesterday for the first time in a decade (it's a city I knew pretty well in the early 80s). Amazed by the upmarket quality retail in the Victoria Quarter (the Edwardian arcades area) - the sort of thing we should have in Grainger Town, but don't [and more or less fully occupied, and busy]. But I was also gobsmacked to see that Lewis's - which in my time was THE department store - has folded and the building is now occupied by a Sainsbury's, and - the ultimate insult - an Argos and a TK Maxx. It couldn't be worse if the whole place had become a poundland. Anyway, that go me thinking - all the wishes expressed here for Newcastle to get a Selfridges, a Harvey Nichols etc - what could happen is that we might lose far more than we gain. Would gaining a Selfridges be worth it for the loss of Fenwicks? It could happen here.

Totally agree with you!The Victoria Quarter is fantastic as is the Corn Exchange with its range of independant stores, its always got a great atmosphere in there. I do feel Fenwick's/John Lewis would be relatively unaffected by a store such as Selfridges/Harvey Nichols as one focuses mainly on fashion whilst the other includes white goods and furniture in addition to the fashion concessions.
The old fire station for me is the perfect location for such a store as it isnt too big!Somewhere like the Odeon or Co-op building is just too big in my eyes.

 

[AngerOfTheNorth]

I haven't been to Leeds for a few years (I used to go shopping there as a kid from time to time) but I heard the Corn Exchange was totally redeveloped - essentially gentrified. I've no idea if it actually happened, but if it did it's an incredible shame. I've seen few more vibrant collections of little independent shops anywhere in the UK.

And you might have a point there Wilf - I know I'd be gutted to see Fenwicks go under. One thing we always have to accept is that although there's a bit of leeway in the amount of trade we can bring in from afar, there's only so much shopping the North East economy can provide to Newcastle. The area around Leeds has a lot of money - in fact Yorkshire as a whole is relatively affluent - which sadly can't be said of the North East.

 

[kieron79]

I haven't been to Leeds for a few years (I used to go shopping there as a kid from time to time) but I heard the Corn Exchange was totally redeveloped - essentially gentrified. I've no idea if it actually happened, but if it did it's an incredible shame. I've seen few more vibrant collections of little independent shops anywhere in the UK.

And you might have a point there Wilf - I know I'd be gutted to see Fenwicks go under. One thing we always have to accept is that although there's a bit of leeway in the amount of trade we can bring in from afar, there's only so much shopping the North East economy can provide to Newcastle. The area around Leeds has a lot of money - in fact Yorkshire as a whole is relatively affluent - which sadly can't be said of the North East.

Agreed. Sad but true, hence we will never have the quality of shopping that we would love.
As an aside (i know this should really be in eating out thread), I have just got back from a walk around Jesmond with the missus. We walsked along Brentwood Avenue and I must say what a lovely parade of shops/restaurants that has. We popped into one store called Wooley Blue (I think) and it stocked loads of lovely things for the home at reasonable prices too. We also went into Stewart & Co for a coffee and slice of cake. It has a great feel to it on that street. I particularly like it in the Summer sitting outside Bruge with a cold beer tucking into a bowl of mussels with mayo and chips!YUM!

 

[AngerOfTheNorth]

Yeah, I went there a few weeks ago for the first time in years, there was always some nice shops there but it's great now. Stewart & Co is really nice and I ended up bumping into a girl I knew from uni who now works there.

It just makes me wish Jesmond wasn't such an expensive place to live!

 

[funkydory]

I wonder how big the screen will be compared to . .

CINERAMA.

There was only the one "Cinerama" cinema ever in Newcastle (or the rest of the North East, as far as I know) and that was the QUEENS CINEMA, just off Northumberland Street.

Here are two PHOTOS of the Queens Cinema "Cinerama" screen, which really shows the size. The photos were taken in 1964, and are from the below website . .

http://www.in70mm.com/news/2009/newcastle/index.htm

I know that with Cinerama you really had to go with friends (minimum of two others!) to tell you what was happening on the other parts of the screen!!!

Yes indeed, the Queens was the only ever Cinerama in the North-East, the nearest at any one time being Leeds, Manchester, or Glasgow.

As a regular contibutor to the major international dedicated Cinerama site, here is one of my ads with the Queens Newcastle listed in: www.cinerama.topcities.com/songofnorways.jpg Newcastle as one of the pioneers in the early days of Cinerama showmanship in the UK can be seen here www.cinerama.topcities.com/ukcinerama.htm

Nowadays Bradford has the only dedicated Cinerama operation in the UK called Pictureville and is situated next door to the IMAX complex there. Its usually only operative for Cinereama re-runs on Bank Holiday specials.

There was at one time a Cinerama travelling circus type version called 'Itinerama' which only lasted a few years in the 1960's, and the nearest evidence i have of a North-East England outing for it was in Leeds in 1967.

 

[kieron79]

Need your help guys! Anyone know of any good shops selling childrens nursery items eg picture frames, curtains, decorative items etc. I know there is the usual like Mamas & Papas but I'm after somewhere a little different. Doesn't even need to be in Newcastle really would be willing to travel to York/Edinburgh etc ,although local is best of course!

 

[bigchrisfgb]

Anyone else thinks McDonalds will open up in the old Topshop sotre (when it moves), Lebowski I think it was said that McDonalds were looking for a location in ES with it's own enterance so it doesn't have to close as early as ES does, I just think the soon to be old Topshop will be a location they will chose to locate to, now that they only have 2 city centre stores.

Also, worth noting that when Superdry opens, we will then have2 shops in ES that sells Superdry (more if you count Fenwicks) because I'm sure that shop around the corner from where Superdry is to open only sells Superdry cloths now (Legends I think it is). Every time I go passed I only see Superdry clothes, I maybe wrong but it does seem they only seel Superdry, if they do seel other other brands then they don't have very many.

 

[TownPlanningNE]

Anyone else thinks McDonalds will open up in the old Topshop sotre (when it moves), Lebowski I think it was said that McDonalds were looking for a location in ES with it's own enterance so it doesn't have to close as early as ES does, I just think the soon to be old Topshop will be a location they will chose to locate to, now that they only have 2 city centre stores.

If they want a unit with its own entrance/to stay open later, Perhaps they'll consider one of the restaurant units facing the Gate? Another option would be some units in St Georges Mall, that mall is open as long as the bus station; till about midnight I believe?

 

[kieron79]

Need your help guys! Anyone know of any good shops selling childrens nursery items eg picture frames, curtains, decorative items etc. I know there is the usual like Mamas & Papas but I'm after somewhere a little different. Doesn't even need to be in Newcastle really would be willing to travel to York/Edinburgh etc ,although local is best of course!

Anyone?

 

[Newcastle Historian]

Anyone?

Is this list of any use?

http://www.city-visitor.com/newcastleupontyne/nurseryfurniture.html

 

[bigchrisfgb]

Anyone?

No, sorry but I will be finding out soon enough as my sister is pregnant, I know she's visited mam&papa's, nad mothercare aswell as online. My Auntie has a baby store in Blyth, not sure what it's called or whereabouts it's located though, and I'm assuming baby things isn't waht your after and that your after toddler aged stores.

I'll keep an eye out for you.

 

[kieron79]

Is this list of any use?

http://www.city-visitor.com/newcastleupontyne/nurseryfurniture.html

Nice one NH, that will certainly keep me going!

 

[kieron79]

No, sorry but I will be finding out soon enough as my sister is pregnant, I know she's visited mam&papa's, nad mothercare aswell as online. My Auntie has a baby store in Blyth, not sure what it's called or whereabouts it's located though, and I'm assuming baby things isn't waht your after and that your after toddler aged stores.

I'll keep an eye out for you.

Cheers! its more like decorative stuff I'm after to do out a nursery. Will have a look next time I'm up Blyth way.
There are loads of good websites out there but I want (as much as possible) to support local businesses if I can.

 

[kieron79]

Just looking through that list NH has supplied and it brings up a store called Tempter. That was a fantastic independant furniture store, alas it is no more! Such a shame really as it had some great pieces of furniture in it, the problem with places such as that are they stock many items that can be bought cheaper online so that probs puts loads of potential customers off.

 

[johnnypd]

I went to Leeds yesterday for the first time in a decade (it's a city I knew pretty well in the early 80s). Amazed by the upmarket quality retail in the Victoria Quarter (the Edwardian arcades area) - the sort of thing we should have in Grainger Town, but don't [and more or less fully occupied, and busy]. But I was also gobsmacked to see that Lewis's - which in my time was THE department store - has folded and the building is now occupied by a Sainsbury's, and - the ultimate insult - an Argos and a TK Maxx. It couldn't be worse if the whole place had become a poundland. Anyway, that go me thinking - all the wishes expressed here for Newcastle to get a Selfridges, a Harvey Nichols etc - what could happen is that we might lose far more than we gain. Would gaining a Selfridges be worth it for the loss of Fenwicks? It could happen here.

well said Wilf. the retail offering round that area is really smart and just the sort of thing we should be aiming for. the buildings round Leeds' victoria quarter are nice, but grainger town has better architecture, albeit under-utilised at present.

 

[geordiejon]

I went to Leeds yesterday for the first time in a decade (it's a city I knew pretty well in the early 80s). Amazed by the upmarket quality retail in the Victoria Quarter (the Edwardian arcades area) - the sort of thing we should have in Grainger Town, but don't [and more or less fully occupied, and busy]. But I was also gobsmacked to see that Lewis's - which in my time was THE department store - has folded and the building is now occupied by a Sainsbury's, and - the ultimate insult - an Argos and a TK Maxx. It couldn't be worse if the whole place had become a poundland. Anyway, that go me thinking - all the wishes expressed here for Newcastle to get a Selfridges, a Harvey Nichols etc - what could happen is that we might lose far more than we gain. Would gaining a Selfridges be worth it for the loss of Fenwicks? It could happen here.

I have to say that you are wrong about the Lewis Department stores closing due to the opening of high end Harvey Nicks. Department stores aim their good usually at certain parts of of the population- in Newcastle John Lewis and Fenwicks do tend to aim at the same middle of the road markets (debenhams aiming at the more bargain end of the spectrum)- what with Fenwicks clothes generally aimed at the slightly younger and John Lewis a bit older. Lewis' were a set of department stores with no general direction for many years- I don't know much about the Leeds store but the Manchester and Liverpool stores were rather depressing and old. They slid towards the more bargan side of the market for many years- and it wasnt the sucess or arrival of Harvey Nick that made its closure inevitable but the sucess of Debenhams in both Leeds and Manchester (and of course crap management of the little chain). Only the Liverpool store is left- for how long is anyones guess what with Debenhams arriving in the city centre.

Would Harvey Nicks or Selfridges affect Fenwicks? Maybe a bit- in terms of clothing- some of the concessions in Fenwicks such as Hugo Boss, Paul Smith etc are also housed in the likes of HN or Selfridges, but generally over half of the clothing in HN is much more high priced labels not shown in Newcastle (perhaps only in Cruise) and certainly not in Fenwicks -there are no Jimmy Choo shoes or prada hand bags in Fenwicks when you walk in- there is a row of womens tights on lovely green carpet and crogg shoe things- hardly Harvey Nicks style is it?

Personally I think Newcastle only misses that one department store- and that is the more upmarket one- we have two middle of the road in Fenwicks and John Lewis, will have in a few weeks time a more lower of the market one, and we have the skid row one in the terms of TJ Hughes- now we have a small HN.

 

[geordiejon]

Anyone else thinks McDonalds will open up in the old Topshop sotre (when it moves), Lebowski I think it was said that McDonalds were looking for a location in ES with it's own enterance so it doesn't have to close as early as ES does, I just think the soon to be old Topshop will be a location they will chose to locate to, now that they only have 2 city centre stores.

Also, worth noting that when Superdry opens, we will then have2 shops in ES that sells Superdry (more if you count Fenwicks) because I'm sure that shop around the corner from where Superdry is to open only sells Superdry cloths now (Legends I think it is). Every time I go passed I only see Superdry clothes, I maybe wrong but it does seem they only seel Superdry, if they do seel other other brands then they don't have very many.

Well if it did it would be absolutely huge! They would need both floors to have an entrance on street and in the mall. In reality their is not many units with entrances on street and in the mall. I agree maybe the St Georges Mall would work- it could certainly help the mall. However I am not 100% sure their is the need of another McDonalds in Newcastle.

As for Superdry- the current store that is currently open in Eldon Square that sells in Superdry is Triple S- which houses more that just Superdry- there is currently a Triple S on Grainger Street. Surprisingly the Superdry store in the Metro Centre is not owned by Superdry by run by Triple S. So one would assume that the one opening is actually being run by Triple S. My biggest worry is that if their is a Triple S in Eldon Square will it close its store on Grainger Street?(which would not surpise me at all)- or perhaps they are just a triple s temporarily in Eldon Square and will close when the superdry opens- the store in ES doesnt look like they have spent much on doing up their store.

 

[johnnypd]

fenwick's is a mixed bag and certainly is high end in parts. selfridges is also something of a mixed bag but if it was limited in size and focused mainly on higher end stuff i dont think it would pose a huge problem. if it was a huge medium-market dept store then it might be too much. i don't think newcastle needs another gigantic department store, but better high end offering - a small Harvey Nicks and a cluster of say 12-15 high end shops around it. something like multrees walk in edinburgh.

 

[fazaz]

Need your help guys! Anyone know of any good shops selling childrens nursery items eg picture frames, curtains, decorative items etc. I know there is the usual like Mamas & Papas but I'm after somewhere a little different. Doesn't even need to be in Newcastle really would be willing to travel to York/Edinburgh etc ,although local is best of course!

Tried the Pram Centre in Glasgow??

http://www.pramcentreonline.co.uk/shop/index.php

Online shopping too, and one of the more popular choices up in Glasgow - a good alternative to the bank breaking Mamas & Papas