It's finally arrived. Six days short of 3½ years since Slater's closed its car showrooms & service centre, and after a couple of promised dates, Ruthin Décor yesterday opened the new store that takes it from the deserts of Lôn Parcwr back to the oasis of the town centre.
It's already making a difference to Well Street. Gone is the woebegone site and in its place Ruthin Décor retains the long glass frontage that creates natural light within and amply demonstrates its wares without.
It deserves our support because this is potentially the most significant new store opening of recent times. Significant because it:
We also need to note the rise and rise of Ruthin Décor. It all started in a very modest shop at the lower corner of Clwyd Street & Upper Clwyd Street, now occupied by Elysium and immediately after Ruthin Décor left, by Jan Bargiel, the architectural designer. This was at a time when About the House sold similar products from what is now the Army & Navy Store, Well Street (and there was also a hardware King's competitor further down Clwyd Street, where Reebee's is now). Was it between 15 and 20 years ago that Ruthin Décor moved to considerably more spacious premises at Lôn Parcwr? It was nevertheless still cramped there, with a mezzanine. Now, though, everything's on one floor at Well Street.
Even though there's still some work needed, there are plenty of photographs of the transformation at Well Street on the Ruthin Décor Facebook page. "Likes" have increased from 21 to 48 in the space of one week!
It's already making a difference to Well Street. Gone is the woebegone site and in its place Ruthin Décor retains the long glass frontage that creates natural light within and amply demonstrates its wares without.It deserves our support because this is potentially the most significant new store opening of recent times. Significant because it:
- Occupies a brownfield site hitherto more associated with buddleia than economic activity.
- Shows a confidence in the town at a time when the credit thingy has turned into a recession that will soon be a depression.
- Reverses a trend in out of town retailing to Lôn Parcwr (e.g. Uptown furnishings, Uproar, Lewis Electrics).
- Will inject life into Well Street, an area already reported as under strain.
We also need to note the rise and rise of Ruthin Décor. It all started in a very modest shop at the lower corner of Clwyd Street & Upper Clwyd Street, now occupied by Elysium and immediately after Ruthin Décor left, by Jan Bargiel, the architectural designer. This was at a time when About the House sold similar products from what is now the Army & Navy Store, Well Street (and there was also a hardware King's competitor further down Clwyd Street, where Reebee's is now). Was it between 15 and 20 years ago that Ruthin Décor moved to considerably more spacious premises at Lôn Parcwr? It was nevertheless still cramped there, with a mezzanine. Now, though, everything's on one floor at Well Street.
Even though there's still some work needed, there are plenty of photographs of the transformation at Well Street on the Ruthin Décor Facebook page. "Likes" have increased from 21 to 48 in the space of one week!
Tags:
Slater's/Ruthin Décor