Thursday, 31 May 2012
Broomhill or Beaut-Hill?
Can a district centre have too many hairdressers, nail bars, beauticians and pampering places? Another three seem to have opened in the last month and we've lost yet another food shop 'On a Roll', which made a valiant attempt to operate a deli in Broomhill but now seems to have closed. OK, it's good to have the shops open, but....
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I own 3 restaurants in Sheffield and I considered opening one in Broomhill (I live in Broomhill so it would have been quite ideal). I didn't for 3 key reasons:
ReplyDelete1. Parking - bloody nightmare for residents and people wanting to shop. I know BANG and the Forum are not keen but a car park would solve a lot of problems.
2. Rent - the rent was ridiculously high when I looked at B'Hill a year ago. This is why B'Hill is going into decline and Crookes is booming. In Crookes the rent is cheaper. It isn't as middle class or as nice, but with cheaper rents in this difficult economy it becomes a lot more attractive. Get lobbying some of the landlords to bring the rents down and maybe you'll get some more businesses investing here.
3. Students - love them as they spend so much money and no students, no Sheffield. But they leave in the summer and trade evaporates. If parking was easier maybe more residents from afar could help plug the gap.
I don't know about 3 hairdressers opening? I can't see them anywhere. I agree with desperately need diversity but it's better than the shops being empty.
Broomhill is simply getting a bad reputation for business. It's too risky to invest in B'Hill because the takings are too eclectic. I think BANG and Broomhill Forum need to start debating why the shops arn't filling up like they used to. Compare yourselves to Crookes and other areas.
Btw. word on the street was that On a Roll didn't close down due to loss of earnings, merely that the owners had had enough. Plus it wasn't really a deli if you know what a real deli looks like.