Independent arts, retailers and culinary delights – New Street has it all!
New Street, which runs parallel to Worcester’s Shambles and on from Friar Street continues the historic story of the city with the King Charles house at the far end. In November/December, New Street is the foodie heart of the Victorian Market and during the rest of the year, the businesses enjoy footfall from locals and tourists shopping in the independent businesses and recharging in the bars and food on offer in the street.
Terry Goodwin-Jones jointly owns The King’s Gallery and Mangojuice Gallery: “New Street has been increasingly busy generally, not just with locals but visitors from all over and also return visitors which is good. People are buying as well as browsing and the street feels full of life again. We are excited to take part in the Big Parade: it brings more people down to the street as part of the Art Trail. The King’s Gallery has been here over 20 years and some people are visiting us for the first time which is wonderful. Our window created by my colleague Popi has a beautiful baby elephant in as well as our products, so people are now elephant spotting along New Street!”
Hannah Webb from Bottles Wine Bar says; ‘Over at bottles we’ve been working hard on taking a positive approach despite all the chops and changes we’ve been subjected to over the last 18 months. Our local collaboration with strong indie restaurant Chester’s is back with a vengeance! Order take out from Chesters to eat with your wine at our gorgeous little bar, as well as their late night burritos returning 10pm-2am Fridays and Saturdays.
Supporting other independent businesses is so important in city’s like Worcester and the more we can support each other the better.’
‘It’s been a tough road to navigate but allowed us to develop parts of our business that we otherwise were struggling to find the time for like our delivery service and wholesale.
We’ll be opening our brand new shop in reindeer court amongst some other developments, so keep your eyes peeled. And as always a huge thank you and cheers to our staff and customers, without whom we could never be where we are!’
Bottles wine bar are back open until 2am Friday and Saturdays now, and as of August will be back to DJ both nights.
Insider secrets: Be the Change have recently made their debut to the street with their second restaurant location in Worcester. This is a must to visit!
Worcester BID’s priorities and objectives are to promote, support and enhance BID businesses within the City.
www.worcesterbid.com
Family run businesses to major retailers Broad Street is the ideal shopping location
Linking the river bridge to the top of the High Street at Worcester Cross, Broad Street is an important thoroughfare for the city centre. With a mixture of national chains and independent retailers, Broad Street sees a lot of people walk up and down as both a destination and passing through.
Gill Barnett is manager at Cook Mate, an independent cookshop that has been in Broad Street for 40 years and is now a firm favourite in the city. “Broad Street is always busy,” Gill says. “There are an increasing number of pedestrians around, especially when the football was on. We are in a very positive position: here in Cook Mate, we have lots of new lines in stock and are adding more each week. We feel that people are out spending more when they come into our shop, and footfall is increasing as the weeks go by. Celebrating our 40th anniversary is important too - we will be celebrating with the local community and cementing our position as an established face in Broad Street.”
New England is another independent retailer based further along Broad Street towards the bridge. Rachael Evans is the owner. “We have lots of fabulous new stock from our favourite brands including Seasalt, Gisela Graham and Cath Kidson which are always popular with shoppers as great gifts or stylish clothing. As the restrictions ease, footfall is slowly getting busier again but despite that people are spending more when they come into the shop which is positive to see.”
The team at Toys and Games of Worcester said ‘We are very much part of the Worcester community having lived, schooled and worked in the city for decades. We love the city. We have had a shop in Worcester for 25 years and enjoy it now as much as we did when we started. We have masses of stock. Lego, Pokemon, Tamiya, Airfix, Brio, Playmobil, Silvanian Families, toy cars, fidget toys, board games, card games, summer toys, plush toys.’
‘We are situated on Broad Street and open every day, it’s a great location a main entry point to the city and close enough to the centre that people can come wherever they are. Come and see us and meet the team. Vicky, Sue, Sophie, Annie & Tim’
With access from Broad Street to the High Street, The Cross, the River Severn and
main city bridge as well as Deansway, Crowngate and Angel Place with the bus station, it’s not hard to see why Broad Street is such a hub.
Worcester BID’s priorities and objectives are to promote, support and enhance BID businesses within the City.
www.worcesterbid.com
From brunch with friends, to cocktails with colleagues indulge in Worcester’s eclectic mix of venues
Foregate, as the name suggests, marks where the city gate would once have been, and then during the 18th century the street was known as the Mall and Tymbs. It’s now best known for the city centre train station and routes heading out of the city towards the parks and residential areas but take a closer look.
Look up as you walk along Foregate Street to enjoy the historic architecture that many of the buildings boast. The entrance to the Hopmarket (head inside for more independents in a pretty courtyard setting) was a hotel and bank, dated around 1900 with later additions, with stunning French chateau and Tudor style elements. Dates and writing are still visible on the frontages, which includes Black & White bar and kitchen. The owner there is Rebaz Tahir who worked hard during lockdown to develop his site, tripling the space and extending downstairs. Since restrictions have been easing, he feels that things started slowly in the street but says it’s noticeably been getting steadily busier. “We are getting really positive feedback about our expansion and are very happy to be welcoming a mix of locals but also tourists,” he said.
Amid the historic architecture, today’s Foregate Street is thriving. There’s a excellent mix of businesses along Foregate Street either side of the train station, bringing locals and visitors to the city. Bodega Cantina is a popular foodie spot close to the station. Liam Bradford is the general manager: “We are really happy that Foregate Street is getting busier all the time now. Things are buzzing here in the restaurant both with walk-in's and bookings which is great to see. It's a mix of couples, friends and families who seem happy to be out and about again, enjoying food, drink and relaxation here in the city centre.”
In A-Plan Insurance Katey Smith, insurance consultant is in a type of business that adapted to telephone contact during lockdown. She is however delighted that more and more customers are being welcomed back to the branch: “For example, our older customers prefer the reassurance of getting in front of people to deal with their insurance,” Katey says. “We can tell that the street is getting busier - for us it’s wonderful to see the other businesses including many independents around us who are getting busier all the time. For example, Steam House opposite us is so popular! Foregate Street is a key route for people walking in and out of the city centre, maybe on their way to work and back. We feel at central to the city, but love being surrounded by history.”
Insider Secret: Looking for a city retreat? Did you know the Worcester Whitehouse hotel have a leisure club with a heated indoor swimming pool and whirlpool spa.
Worcester BID’s priorities and objectives are to promote, support and enhance BID businesses within the City.
www.worcesterbid.com
Explore, Shop, Dine in one of Worcester’s Historic Independent Streets
Not only is Friar Street the historic heart of Worcester but it is also a beating heart and soul of independent businesses in the city. Walk along the city’s oldest street and soak up the Tudor framed buildings within which the deep-rooted history of the city can still be enjoyed. Tudor House museum contains much of that still today for you to learn and absorb. National Trust owned Greyfriars is a serene space with a stunning secret garden to just sit and enjoy a quiet coffee and be with your own thoughts. It’s this vibe that the independent businesses in Friar Street love: a sense of a community within the city.
The Meeting Place opened after first lockdown and is family run by Edward & Nancy Little-Jones and Edward’s sister. They run their business around 4 core values: community, sustainability, ethics and people, so they fit right into Friar Street. “It’s essential to us to support local,” says Edward. “We buy our beers from Hoplords around the corner in Pump Street and get ingredients from Three Counties Produce and The Butcheress who are all local. We like using suppliers from the city and close by. We are seeing lots of new faces coming in from Friar Street and are enjoying seeing local people come back in through our doors.”
Trio is this month celebrating 12 months since opening its beauty salon in Friar Street. “We love being a part of such a traditional street, full of wonderful independent businesses. There’s a real sense of community and we feel proud to be here with such lovely people!” says Jade Dixon co-owner of Trio.
Further along towards Greyfriars, jeweler Anja Potze agrees: “People buy from people, and like the other independent businesses along Friar Street, we offer a personal service and experience that you can’t get online. We value the loyalty our customers have shown us over the last 18 months and have been delighted to be able meet new customers along the way.
Next door Kate Page, owner of Friar Street Kitchen: “It’s an amazing community: we all get together and support each other and the neighbouring streets too: I use Bottles in New Street for my wine and we and Tortuga borrow ingredients back and forth when we need to! People seem happier than before lockdown, it’s a really positive feeling to being back open and busy here on Friar Street.”
Insider secret: did you know there is a secret garden located in Friar Street within Greyfriars. Where you can relax and enjoy a slice of cake with cup of tea for that little bit of escapism.
