Author Topic: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay  (Read 627125 times)

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Offline Michael

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #495 on: October 13, 2013, 10:48:14 pm »
   Fruit and Veg Wholesaling seems even more dodgy financially than retailing.

   Remember John Garstang, a very big f and v wholesaler originally in back Greenfield Road but built a brand new large warehouse in Colwyn Avenue, Rhos. Delivered all over N.Wales. But no longer.

   In Rhyl Robertson Reids and Jacobsens were two more examples long gone.

   And what has taken their place. A flurry of very small retailers who buy themselves a van and make the trip to Liverpool themselves. Supplying hotels and guest houses might give them a bit of seasonal turnover, but they cannot get a decent margin, otherwise the hotelier will be off in his car to Asda.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #496 on: October 14, 2013, 08:29:03 am »
Work now seems almost completed on the impressive Victorian building on Station Road which previously housed the Judge & Jury pub (and historically the town's municipal HQ, I believe). The work has been going on for months & months - must have cost a fortune to renovate. It's good to see such a building restored, but its future use (charity-run bistro and "training" and "admin offices") just seems to highlight (to my mind at least) the sad fact that Arundales - a great, long-standing fruit & veg shop on the other side of the road - couldn't be kept open. (Two different things, I know, but...).

There was another large (4-story) Victorian building renovated into apartments recently - on Penrhyn Road, just down from the Chinese restaurant. Again, it took months & months and must have cost a fortune. I guess in both cases the funding was largely public money (ie Council grants for regenerating the town)?
There's an ancient blog post about the history of the Municipal Building here:
http://llandudnoandcolwynbay.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/muncipal-building-station-road-colwyn.html


Offline BMD

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #497 on: October 14, 2013, 07:58:05 pm »
There's an ancient blog post about the history of the Municipal Building here:
http://llandudnoandcolwynbay.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/muncipal-building-station-road-colwyn.html

Very interesting - I had no idea the building's upper floors housed 'massage parlours' in the 1990s. Nice old photo of the Victorian gents - I hate to think what their impression of 21st century Colwyn Bay would be.

On the Arundales closure, the newspapers reports quoted the owners saying that pedestrianisation of Station Road decreased custom - and that this was the final nail. It's a pity. I can see the difficulty of competing with supermarkets, etc, but if the pedestrianisation finally made the difference which led to closure, it's a shame that something couldn't be worked out with the council, funding-wise. Given the importance of a "real" shop like that, adding life and colour to a street which desperately needs it, I've have thought the council might've bent over backwards to come up with ways to prevent it becoming another empty space. Especially when you look at the amount of money they seem to be putting into other "regeneration" projects around town.

The fruit & veg shop in Rhos on Sea seems to be doing well, at least - and that's in the middle of the Co-op & Spar.

Offline Michael

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #498 on: October 14, 2013, 08:48:21 pm »
   Yes, I am delighted to say that Rhos, where I lived from aged 5 to 18, is the exception that proves the rule.

    It appears to be a prosperous little circle of small individual shops, maybe a few too many cafes, but apart from that a throw back to 50 years ago retail wise. And, reasonable on street parking as another bonus. AND a promenade.

Offline FatAndy

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #499 on: October 15, 2013, 08:56:22 am »
On the Arundales closure, the newspapers reports quoted the owners saying that pedestrianisation of Station Road decreased custom - and that this was the final nail. It's a pity. I can see the difficulty of competing with supermarkets, etc, but if the pedestrianisation finally made the difference which led to closure, it's a shame that something couldn't be worked out with the council, funding-wise.

I read that article and I personally don't believe a word of it.  Station Road was pedestrianised so long ago I can't even remember when it happened but it must have been well over a decade ago.  If that had been the final nail in the coffin Arundales would have closed many years ago.  You also need to bear in mind that there's a car park directly opposite the back door of the shop so they could easily have offered a collect by car service in the same way M&S in Llandudno do (or did?).  It might even have been possible to put in a back door so customers could park on the Ivy Street car park and walk straight into their shop.  If there was a final nail in their coffin it's probably supermarkets starting up home delivery services which allows people to shop without even leaving their houses.  You can't blame the council for the fact that the world is changing or that business owners are too slow to respond to those changes.
"A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing."

Emo Philips

Offline DaveR

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #500 on: October 15, 2013, 09:16:05 am »
Station Road has suffered badly from pedestrianisation, in my view. More often than not, the whole street feels empty and desolate. Far better to reopen it to traffic with a line of parking down both sides.

Offline Merddin Emrys

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #501 on: October 15, 2013, 09:19:27 am »
One way traffic, with parking down both sides is what is required, bring it back to life again!
A pigeon is for life not just Christmas

Offline DaveR

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #502 on: October 15, 2013, 09:20:24 am »
One way traffic, with parking down both sides is what is required, bring it back to life again!
Yes, sorry, should have said, one way traffic only - top to bottom.

Offline Nemesis

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #503 on: October 15, 2013, 08:03:37 pm »
There were people in the Bay Centre today collecting donations towards the pier. :o
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline Michael

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #504 on: October 15, 2013, 08:33:48 pm »
   Whilst I can only admire their ambition but ------  to be realistic nothing, nothing they can possibly collect however big will make one jot of difference to the state of the pier.

    You are talking millions of pounds here. What are thinking of doing with the tiny amount of cash they may collect?

   Having said that, I take my hat off to them for their endeavours.  Although in my opinion the cash collected won't make the slightest difference, the publicity I hope their work receives might do some good

Offline DaveR

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #505 on: October 16, 2013, 08:14:02 am »
They have been given a target amount of cash to raise by the Heritage Lottery Fund, in order to prove they are serious about their ambitions for the Pier and so they can be considered for the 'big grant'.

Offline Michael

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #506 on: October 16, 2013, 08:04:04 pm »
   Oh, thanks Dave. Thats a different matter. Consider my earlier post deleted Mike

Offline hollins

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #507 on: October 21, 2013, 06:51:20 pm »
It appears the shop vacated by KKK is going reopen as a "shabby chic" shop called Vintage Rose.  So if anyone needs some old tat then Colwyn Bay will be the place to go.

I popped in to the new Vintage Rose shop today (thanks Andy). There are some nice things in there and it was well displayed but disappointing for me was that there wasn't enough "old tat" to rummage through! Apart from some old china items most things were new. The lady in there was revamping an old lamp stand so maybe there will be more old stuff in the future.

Offline viv

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #508 on: October 30, 2013, 07:59:15 pm »
Does anyone know which Colwyn Bay shop was on fire today? Hope no-one was hurt. I had heard that it was the Computer shop -but which one?

Offline FatAndy

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Re: Everything to do with Colwyn Bay
« Reply #509 on: October 30, 2013, 09:00:25 pm »
Does anyone know which Colwyn Bay shop was on fire today? Hope no-one was hurt. I had heard that it was the Computer shop -but which one?

The Daily Post website has this report -

"CANDLE SET FIRE TO CURTAINS: A WOMAN was taken to hospital to be treated for minor burns after a candle set fire to curtains at a flat above a computer shop this afternoon.

Fire crews from Colwyn Bay and Llandudno were called to the four storey building on the A547 at Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, along with a rapid response vehicle and an ambulance.

Police took to Twitter to warn motorists of traffic disruption on the busy road and urged them to use alternative routes while firefighters dealt with the incident just after 4pm.

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called at 4.04pm to reports of a fire at a property on Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay. We sent a rapid response vehicle and an emergency ambulance to the scene, and a woman in her 20s with minor burns was taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.”

A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: “The fire was caused by a candle that ignited nearby curtains.”"
"A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing."

Emo Philips