Poundland or Prada?

poundland

Those of you who know me, may be aware of another project I’m involved in called Playful Leeds. We held an event in Borders last year whilst it was empty (and had been for the best part of 3 years), having done some hard detective work to find the real owners of the place. This wasn’t as simple as looking them up on the land registry, as the previous owners had sold the property and we’d started our investigations whilst the new owners had not been updated. Luck was on our side as we ascertained the agents acting for the space, and they copied us by accident in to the email correspondence to the properties owners. This rarely happens! So we made our case, with the full backing of Leeds City Council (Child Friendly City & Leeds Inspired), and managed to secure the space, and have lights, water and electricity recommissioned. The lights alone cost a small fortune for the owners, so we were very grateful for the ease in which they enabled us to do something with high impact for the day,.

The event ‘ Playspace, without borders  was attended by about 150 people from across Leeds. It was about how our collective inherent creative talent in Leeds could animate the retail arena and offer another reason for people to come into Leeds to have playful/conversational experiences, not just to shop. We continued our relationship with the owners, and were very close to having a temporary occupancy at the end of March to spearhead a major city wide festival we’re working on.  We’ve had tremendous support from Leeds City Council, and continue to work with them to find other central locations in empty shops  in Leeds. We aim to make transparent and share our research on who owns what property in Leeds too. We know we are not alone in wishing to animate and create spaces for the public across Leeds.  So when negotiations stalled, we were not entirely sure why, so the discovery that not only was the store occupied on just one floor, but it was by a Poundland was a blow.

plaYFUL LEEDS BORDERS

It was a blow, but it also fired something up within me. And as usual it’s provoked questions…

Firstly is there any significant difference between a Poundland or a Prada? In the end which landlord, representing the interests of shareholders and pension funds would turn down a viable tenant? Is it a snobbishness that means some of us are horrified that a Poundland has opened? Beyond my own personal disappointment does it really matter what goes in that space? Let’s face it, it would never have been a long term community led space no matter how high the quality of playful provision.

But in the case of this particular shop on Briggate, is it just a sign of the times that we live in? That the locus of gravitational pull in cities is ever shifting, new stuff like Trinity comes along that alters the dynamics of a place and it was ever thus? Or are there ways in which more control can be asserted over districts deemed to be civic crown jewels? (I wrote  a post a couple of years back asking the same of the lap dancing clubs on the Headrow). When Victoria Gate, with John Lewis opens will that again shift the retail landscape?

Will these shifts enable us to be more creative as a city about the spaces which are harder to fill with viable long term occupants? Can we collectively influence something really distinct for our city?

I’m off to the launch of a new report tonight, a collaboration between Leeds City Council and Leeds Met ‘Indie Street Supporting the independent retail sector in Leeds’  so maybe I’ll get some answers to my questions, or knowing me it’ll unleash about another ten.

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them. I really don’t mind being challenged, it’s conversation I’m looking for’

 

4 comments

  1. I wasn’t involved with the Playful Leeds project, so I can’t comment on that I don’t think, however the space on a whole, I have a deep connection with. I spend the majority of my teens in that shop – whether that was first dates in the Starbucks upstairs, flicking through the heavy metal magazines trying to find interviews with my favorite bands, or daring to go near the ‘blue’ section to learn more about sex. I think what would come to replace it would also matter deeply to me, and I think the fact it is a Poundland does matter. Perhaps I’m being snobbish, but I wanted what was a cultural hub to replaced by something similar. But perhaps that’s wishful thinking. It’s interesting that there’s no shops like Borders in the new Trinity. Don’t get me wrong, I love clothes, and I love nandos, but they get a bit dull.

    Also, a Poundland so close a Louis Vuitton? Is that going to fly in the long run?

    I have to say though, following the Playful Leeds event, there was a very unsightly amount of hanging wire and broken bulbs which weren’t covered after the event, with deflated balloons and rubbish adorning the window display for weeks. A sad metaphor perhaps, but at least the shop front looks tidy now, even if it is with the garish teal branding of a discount store.

    1. Yes Borders was an amazing place to hang out, discover, meet, alone or with others. (Prior to the company which ran it in to the ground) I used to spend all my hard earned cash there. That’s one of the reasons we worked hard to put our event in there.

      The post event mess did linger, mostly due to the fact we couldn’t get back in for a while due to structural engineering surveys that were taking place. Like you say a sad metaphor! I could have tried harder to clean it up I agree.

      Thanks for commenting Martin

  2. Well, a Poundland on Briggate is a sign of the times we are living in, and isn’t very inspiring, and I really don’t like uninspiring. There are some good bargains to be had some days, and there is no point in paying over the odds for everyday products. For Briggate though, it just doesn’t seem right. Maybe it could improve equity of provision (across the price range) on Briggate and increase footfall, which could be good. Just so long as it doesn’t attract too many like retailers, and thus upset the high end offer image wise, causing them to move out, leaving Briggate full of dull everyday and/or empty shops. At the end of the day though, I think I would rather get my bargains down at the market, which is inspiring, and save Briggate for inspiring (and dreaming). Following that logic though, there are some existing retailers on Briggate that would have to be evicted.

  3. Ahhhhh, iPad autocorrection nightmare – that should be joppie, not hippie. Lets see whether it changes my name in this post when I hit post.

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