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

by BID Team

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

by BID Team

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

by BID Team

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.

by BID Team

Broad Street is Open4Business

The last year has been a challenging year for us all personally and professionally. It is great to see our city back open for business. The simple pleasures of being able to pop back into your favourite store, look and touch the products that you want or desire instead of scrolling through a device hoping it will be as good as it looks when it finally arrives.

The team at Worcester BID have been out and about speaking with the owners and managers of some of Broad Streets thriving businesses. During lockdown parents around Worcestershire relied on the team at Toys & Games of Worcester to ensure their children were kept entertained and put smiles on families faces during the hardest of time.

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’

Throughout the lockdowns and the restrictions, the one thing we all had was reconnecting with nature going on walks enjoying the small luxuries of fresh air. This is a habit that remains making time for you, enjoying exploring new areas of the city and county through going on bike ride and long walks by the river. Where better to visit and to make sure you a kitted out then Rohan.

We spoke with the team a Rohan to find out more about the history of the store and their time in Broad Street ‘In 1972 Rohan was founded in Skipton, North Yorkshire, UK and have been making world class technical clothing for over forty-five years. The first shop was opened in Long Preston, North Yorkshire, UK in 1983. An interesting fact is that Rohan jackets were used on the first ever ascent of Everest without oxygen’

‘Skip a few decades and Rohan Worcester opened in May 2010, now just over 11 years ago with 6 members of staff who all pride themselves on their knowledge of the technical aspects of the garments and all wear the brand both for and outside of work.’

‘Visiting us in-store allows you to see, touch and feel Rohan garments with knowledgeable staff available to discuss what you need from a garment or outfit prior to trying on for fit and comfort.’

‘Rohan Worcester, is a Grade 2 listed building, situated in Broad Street, likely a house and shop 200 years ago. According to English heritage records, the facade of the building is constructed from stucco over brick and dates back to around 1820. This location was selected due to its proximity to the high street with good footfall through both Crowngate centres and local streets. Broad Street has a great atmosphere and a wide selection neighbouring shops attract many visitors.’

Broad Street has so much to offer make sure you visit these amazing businesses and reconnect with Worcester.

Helping Hands Home Care have been providing bespoke visiting and live-in care services for over 30 years, specialising in live-in, domiciliary and dementia care at home. As a values-driven business with family values, Helping Hands have worked tirelessly over the past 30 years to develop a flexible care service that places its customers at its heart. This is achieved through directly employing all of its care staff and training and developing its carers to deliver person-centred care in a dignified and respectful way. Helping Hands is fully regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).

Helping Hands Worcester and Malvern is in a prime location in the centre of Worcester. It is convenient spot for members of the public to come in and enquire about home care and what we can do for our local community. We take great pride in being a part of the main centre of Worcester and we are always available to provide sufficient care. 

Photo’s feature: New England Country Store, Connect 2 Vapes, His & Hers Hair, Helping Hands, Knowles Travelgoods, Rohan, Toys & Games of Worcester

by BID Team

Meet Your City Neighbours - David Edmunds

Worcester BID want to introduce our High Street Heroes, the people from our local city centre - community. David Edmunds who is the Festivals Director at Severn Arts and the dynamic driving force behind the festivals programme for The Arches Worcester Project

Favourite day out in the city?
My favourite day out in the city would have to include some of the varied independent businesses. There are so many great places to eat and drink. You could start with breakfast at Waylands Yard, lunch at Be the Change, don’t skip an afternoon pick me up with a coffee at Method and if you are staying in the city in the evening drinks at Tonic.

Best thing about working in Worcester?
The best thing about working in Worcester is the civic pride. People are keen for things to happen, which is great when you are bringing a new cultural festivals programme to a city. The partners and organisations we are working with show such strong support for what we are doing as well.

What is your proudest achievement?
My proudest achievement would have to be Light Night in January 2020 and the way the people of the city embraced it.  It really set the tone for the festivals programme. We had a bit of a break from our normal programming over the pandemic but we are very much looking forward to bringing our events back into the city centre.

Favourite city landmark?
I can’t really highlight just one city landmark that is my favourite. I’m a big fan of the architecture of Worcester in general. There are just so many different canvases to play with and on. I remember being at the top of Crowngate car park and looking at the 360 panoramic view of the city. From there you can see the river, The Hive, older parts of city and the Cathedral. 

What do you do to relax within the city?
My favourite way to relax is running and Worcester has some great running routes: along the river, around Pitchcroft out towards Diglis and more.

What is Worcester’s best kept secret?
Worcester’s best kept secret has to be the unusual hidden spaces you find in the city.  We have happened upon some really distinctive unique surprising spaces, from alleyways and courtyards through to the vaults under Asda carpark and the crypt under the cathedral.

What’s the best part of your role?
The best part of my role is definitely bringing amazing world-class creativity from around the world to our audiences in Worcester and being able to provide opportunities for new graduates to receive their first commissions alongside this. There is a new cultural landscape being built for the city alongside the development of The Arches and its an exciting time to be part of that right now.

A recommendation now the City is reopening?
I think there is an exciting summer ahead, Worcester’s Big Parade is happening, and of course our own summer plans. I’m looking forward to bringing that colour back to the city.

by BID Team

Meet Your City Neighbours - Janine Downes

Worcester BID want to introduce our High Street Heroes, the people from our local city centre - community. Janine Downes is Service Development and Engagement Manager for Worcestershire Libraries including The Hive. She is also the driving force behind the city’s Business and IP Centre, supporting pre and early start businesses to set up and thrive.

Favourite day out in the city? – A swim in the morning at Fitness for Less, a walk along the river taking in the Cathedral, a meander down Mealcheapen Street (Charity Alley) to pick up a few bargains, a coffee or a pint (depending on time of day) and food outside somewhere.

Best thing about working in Worcester? – Working next door to the Paul Pry for the friendliest welcome, best beer and tastiest food after work!

What is your proudest achievement? – I love working in libraries. Every time we inspire a child to read, help someone to use Zoom for the first time, help them to strengthen their business – that’s when I’m most proud. Lucky for me that happens every day!

Favourite city landmark? – Well it would be wrong not to say The Hive 😊 But really – I love that it overlooks the river and the Malvern Hills, and the design just inspires me every day.

What do you do to relax within the city? - I love always being able to find a lunchtime spot with a view, whether that’s down by the river, on Cathedral Plaza or when it’s raining from the windows of The Hive.

What is Worcester’s best kept secret? - Well, it’s not really a secret, but I love the café space in the Museum and Art Gallery, a secret if you haven’t found it yet I suppose. Oh – also Level 4 at The Hive. A peaceful, light and open haven for working.

What’s the best part of your role? – The people I work with and meet. The library and Business & IP Centre team, the customers, the partners we work with.

A recommendation now the City is reopening – Wander down the old streets: Copenhagen St, Fish St and Friar St to find great independents, atmosphere and quality food and drink!

by BID Team