On Facebook's Fans of the Old Ruthin Blog, Jon Rosser asked a question. With some of its subsequent comments, the query is worthy of exegetical critiquing as a way of summing up things in Rhuthun/Ruthin in 2016.
The simple answer is, as many as the town will support. Hairdressers and tearooms are a sign of prosperity and, as you might expect, in the case of Rhuthun/Ruthin, there's quite a few, though the number of teashops has declined over recent years. There are certainly more in Rhuthun of both types of businesses than in neighbour Dinbych, a town double Rhuthun's size.
So, take teashops. Compare December 2015 with one year ago and Annie's, Castle Park Café and Crown House have all shut. Delightful Cupcakes, acting partly as a teashop, opened. Including neither Café Doof nor Seven Oaks (as being outside the town centre), that's a net reduction from 10 to eight, or 20 per cent. Eight goes to seven if you include Café R which closed yesterday, pending a new lessee. These are the former proprietors of Crown House. The number was static in 2013 and 2012 at 10.
If, however, you go back 10 years, to December 2005, there were 12 cafés in town (not including one that had not long closed). The number of cafés over the last 10 years has therefore reduced by a third. If the question "Just how many…" implies that there are currently too many, do please be careful what you wish for.
In terms of hair salons and beauty parlours aimed at women, I make it that Rhuthun has 12. That's broadly similar to Dinbych. Yr Wyddgrug/Mold supports 20 but with double Rhuthun's population. The number in Rhuthun was identical in December 2015, at 12. The number of men's barbers was the same then as it is now.
"A lot more than it needs a lot of empty shops, that's for sure”
This was one answer to Mr Rosser's question. If we don't support the town's cafés or salons, we risk losing them. The empty unit alternative it not at all palatable. What other businesses would fill them?
"… offering generous incentives to businesses providing alternatives for the town would attract custom and develop the local economy"
For the town's size, we actually have a very good range of comparison shops. As for bread & butter town centre convenience outlets, right across Britain they cannot compete with supermarkets, so it's unlikely in the extreme we will be able to offer anything like the incentive required to get more of these back in Rhuthun. Would Rhuthun be able to turn back the tide of modern capitalism?
Based on facts, the biggest structural change in the convenience sector was after the arrival in 1992 of Lo-cost (today's Station Road Co-op) and this restructuring was only hastened by Tesco.
"Constant criticism of shops that do their best, offer a service, fill otherwise empty shops really is not the best way to promote the town. Traders spend 8+ hours daily offering a service to the town, some days you are lucky to see the odd one or two [customers]"
The suggestion that there are too many teashops, hairdressers and charity shops also does a disservice to the hardworking people who run what are often family businesses. Here, I would support the mayoral Facebook message of 2016 that asks us to be more positive towards our town.
"When I had my shop in town I was the only one selling kids clothing and at affordable prices. Most days I sat their (sic) for 8 hrs and didn't have one customer… Totally regret trying for a town of people who don't support"
Children's clothes sales in Rhuthun don't seem to have a recent happy history. A small number have tried and failed. Even women's fashions & accessories, for which Rhuthun was once justly famous, aren't quite what they used to be, although this sector has seen some recent new ideas and arrivals.
"I only sell via [the] internet now. Best thing I did"
It seems to me that we get the town centre shopping experience we deserve. If we prefer to buy our jewellery or clothes or our white and other electrical goods on the internet (or from other towns), we cannot complain when the likes of Lewis Electrics closes (as it did in 2013, squarely blaming online competition). Again, it would be good if single handed Rhuthun reversed the trend of modern capitalism but the chances are somewhat remote. Meanwhile, isn't it up to us to support our local shopkeepers? If we don't, who will? There's always room for more visitors but we cannot rely on them.
"Free parking all year round would only help"
But would it? Free parking comes with consequences. Why in 1994, for example, did the former Glyndŵr District Council originally introduce parking charges on St Peter's Square? Because spaces were blocked by what one councillor at the time called "selfish drivers".
We should be thankful that car parking in Rhuthun is cheaper than in any town in Denbighshire, certainly for up to half a day.
"… free parking during festive period after 3pm. What good was that when folk can go to other much larger towns and get it free"
Out-of-town and edge-of-town shopping centres offer free parking (with the exception of Island Green, Wrecsam) but I am not aware of any other larger town where central parking is free as a matter of course. Of course, parking elsewhere may be perceived as better value for money for the range of shops on offer.
Free parking after 3 p.m. presumably encourages people to shop during the period when otherwise they may be less inclined to come into town. Might this generate additional footfall? This helps local people in particular. It encourages parents to come into town with their children after school.
Festive "free after three" seems to have established itself quite widely. It was even available in Chester last as in previous years (though I am not sure whether it was in December 2015).
"I don't begrudge paying 20p or 50p I just want a space! The amount of times I've circled this town just to post a parcel or to pop into the deli etc…"
This comment rather suggests that free parking would be a mistake, as the popular car parks would immediately become blocked.
Speaking about Rhuthun in 1992, it was the former Glyndŵr chief planner Phil Durrell who said, "A problem for the future of towns is the balance of traffic flows, parking and development against the needs of what is the only outstanding conservation area in Clwyd". These tensions remain. We live in a delightful town and with that privilege comes compromise and this includes the fact that we cannot always expect to dump our cars where we want.
One answer to funding a space might be to increase the 50p rate to discourage use or encourage shorter stays... but that wouldn't be popular, either.
"I ventured into town at 9.30am. The only place open was Boots…I know many people from outside Ruthin who do not come here because they do not know if anything is actually open. I popped in on [a] bank holiday Monday. Only place open was Ruthin Décor, B&M and Tesco."
This does slightly overstate things but it isn't far off the truth. Shopkeepers don't have a good record at opening with some shops opening late and closing early. Here, though, it's chicken and egg. To open earlier, we need town centre shoppers. Shoppers won't come if they know shops aren't open.
The problem's the same on a Saturday afternoon but small market towns throughout Britain struggle after 1 p.m. on what before the 1980s was the busiest shopping day of the week.
And between Christmas & new year, it was no different this year to last, with a number of shops simply giving up. Who's to blame them if we cannot show our support. Family businesses work hard and there's often not the resilience to open all hours. It was interesting, though, to see all three estate agents open during the festive week. Last year, only Cavendish Ikin did so and they made a fuss about the number of sales during this otherwise lean period in housing.
"Charity shops have almost zero overheads, so most can pay for their company cars, PAs , company directors pay, etc, then the little that's left will go to their chosen charity."
The original question asked, "Just how many hairdressers, charity shops and tea rooms does one town need?" Hairdressers and teashops indicate prosperity. A large proportion of charity shops is indicative of decline. But, even here, we must be careful, for charity shops have a place in recycling otherwise unwanted or unloved goods at reasonable prices, something that you rarely find in mainstream shops. The likes of Pass it On, Simmi's dress exchange and Elysium, all of which offered sustainable clothing, are all gone.
It's not that Rhuthun currently has many charity shops. We have just four, which is actually a tiny proportion of our overall tally of shop units. Dinbych sports three. Yr Wyddgrug has three times Rhuthun's number. In Rhuthun, the Greyhound Society's shop is a rather interesting find. The Children's Society has recently been refitted. We should remember that it was started in 1993 as a temporary affair by our own Ena Woolford, Gladys Carey and Margaret Roberts. I do not know whether any of Rhuthun's charity shops help support high or lavish living on the part of their directors but senior third sector pay lags behind that in the private sector. The shops are trading arms but the charities themselves need to satisfy the Charity Commissioner.
"Parking is an absolute joke [with] nowhere near enough spaces"
Can't have it both ways. Assuming we don't wish to knock down or concrete over space to make new car parks, if this assertion is true, either we need to ration space by *increasing* charges (gulp) or Rhuthun residents and visitors need to park at the less popular car parks (e.g. Park Road or Crispin Yard). St Peter's Square is busiest, followed by Market Street. Rarely is Market Street so full that you need to search elsewhere. I have never failed to find a space in Dog Lane though it is often busy.
A school of thought suggests St Peter's Square should be pedestrianised rather than used for parking. To an extent, this was explored under former mayor and town councillor Gavin Harris's 2011 "Masterplan" on the future of Rhuthun. Whatever happened to that?
"Make a 'proper' one-way system around town and then with one carriage way free, put free short-stay parking outside all the shops"
Again, I think we need to be careful for what we wish. More on-street parking would be popular for many, of that there's no doubt, but it would severely disrupt the visual impact in a conservation area, the very thing that appeals to visitors and brings them in. And wouldn't the necessary one-way system come with considerably increased traffic speeds? All this would result in a far less pleasant town centre in which to shop. In another bird analogy, geese and golden eggs spring to mind.
"[It] started in late 80s when [the council] banned people drinking on top of town, how many pubs gone? Loads [of] shops gone, too"
The facts do not support the argument that "loads [of] shops [have] gone". There's certainly been a restructure in shopping types and a considerable churn of traders but, currently, there are fewer vacant units in Rhuthun than in many years. But this is no more or less than for any of its neighbours. Occupation rates in Rhuthun are higher than the national average.
As for the effect of banning people from drinking on the streets, I don't feel qualified to comment. Some would argue that this was a good thing. In terms of pub closures, you only need to read Geraint Owen's book and its predecessor volume to know that over the centuries, inns have come and gone—especially gone. Things were stable on the pub front for more than 25 years till the Wynnstay went on the market in 2009 and subsequently closed, followed in 2012 by The Anchor and a year ago the Olde Cross Keys. The Star's reopened in recent times and under four managements is now a bistro. The Myddleton has similarly changed emphasis. A couple are on the market at present but remain open. Are such changes the result of (a) the credit crunch come recession; (b) Wetherspoon's; or (c) changes of habit fuelled by cheap supermarket alcohol prices?
So, take teashops. Compare December 2015 with one year ago and Annie's, Castle Park Café and Crown House have all shut. Delightful Cupcakes, acting partly as a teashop, opened. Including neither Café Doof nor Seven Oaks (as being outside the town centre), that's a net reduction from 10 to eight, or 20 per cent. Eight goes to seven if you include Café R which closed yesterday, pending a new lessee. These are the former proprietors of Crown House. The number was static in 2013 and 2012 at 10.
If, however, you go back 10 years, to December 2005, there were 12 cafés in town (not including one that had not long closed). The number of cafés over the last 10 years has therefore reduced by a third. If the question "Just how many…" implies that there are currently too many, do please be careful what you wish for.
In terms of hair salons and beauty parlours aimed at women, I make it that Rhuthun has 12. That's broadly similar to Dinbych. Yr Wyddgrug/Mold supports 20 but with double Rhuthun's population. The number in Rhuthun was identical in December 2015, at 12. The number of men's barbers was the same then as it is now.
"A lot more than it needs a lot of empty shops, that's for sure”
This was one answer to Mr Rosser's question. If we don't support the town's cafés or salons, we risk losing them. The empty unit alternative it not at all palatable. What other businesses would fill them?
"… offering generous incentives to businesses providing alternatives for the town would attract custom and develop the local economy"
For the town's size, we actually have a very good range of comparison shops. As for bread & butter town centre convenience outlets, right across Britain they cannot compete with supermarkets, so it's unlikely in the extreme we will be able to offer anything like the incentive required to get more of these back in Rhuthun. Would Rhuthun be able to turn back the tide of modern capitalism?
Based on facts, the biggest structural change in the convenience sector was after the arrival in 1992 of Lo-cost (today's Station Road Co-op) and this restructuring was only hastened by Tesco.
"Constant criticism of shops that do their best, offer a service, fill otherwise empty shops really is not the best way to promote the town. Traders spend 8+ hours daily offering a service to the town, some days you are lucky to see the odd one or two [customers]"
The suggestion that there are too many teashops, hairdressers and charity shops also does a disservice to the hardworking people who run what are often family businesses. Here, I would support the mayoral Facebook message of 2016 that asks us to be more positive towards our town.
"When I had my shop in town I was the only one selling kids clothing and at affordable prices. Most days I sat their (sic) for 8 hrs and didn't have one customer… Totally regret trying for a town of people who don't support"
Children's clothes sales in Rhuthun don't seem to have a recent happy history. A small number have tried and failed. Even women's fashions & accessories, for which Rhuthun was once justly famous, aren't quite what they used to be, although this sector has seen some recent new ideas and arrivals.
"I only sell via [the] internet now. Best thing I did"
It seems to me that we get the town centre shopping experience we deserve. If we prefer to buy our jewellery or clothes or our white and other electrical goods on the internet (or from other towns), we cannot complain when the likes of Lewis Electrics closes (as it did in 2013, squarely blaming online competition). Again, it would be good if single handed Rhuthun reversed the trend of modern capitalism but the chances are somewhat remote. Meanwhile, isn't it up to us to support our local shopkeepers? If we don't, who will? There's always room for more visitors but we cannot rely on them.
"Free parking all year round would only help"
But would it? Free parking comes with consequences. Why in 1994, for example, did the former Glyndŵr District Council originally introduce parking charges on St Peter's Square? Because spaces were blocked by what one councillor at the time called "selfish drivers".
We should be thankful that car parking in Rhuthun is cheaper than in any town in Denbighshire, certainly for up to half a day.
"… free parking during festive period after 3pm. What good was that when folk can go to other much larger towns and get it free"
Out-of-town and edge-of-town shopping centres offer free parking (with the exception of Island Green, Wrecsam) but I am not aware of any other larger town where central parking is free as a matter of course. Of course, parking elsewhere may be perceived as better value for money for the range of shops on offer.
Free parking after 3 p.m. presumably encourages people to shop during the period when otherwise they may be less inclined to come into town. Might this generate additional footfall? This helps local people in particular. It encourages parents to come into town with their children after school.
Festive "free after three" seems to have established itself quite widely. It was even available in Chester last as in previous years (though I am not sure whether it was in December 2015).
"I don't begrudge paying 20p or 50p I just want a space! The amount of times I've circled this town just to post a parcel or to pop into the deli etc…"
This comment rather suggests that free parking would be a mistake, as the popular car parks would immediately become blocked.
Speaking about Rhuthun in 1992, it was the former Glyndŵr chief planner Phil Durrell who said, "A problem for the future of towns is the balance of traffic flows, parking and development against the needs of what is the only outstanding conservation area in Clwyd". These tensions remain. We live in a delightful town and with that privilege comes compromise and this includes the fact that we cannot always expect to dump our cars where we want.
One answer to funding a space might be to increase the 50p rate to discourage use or encourage shorter stays... but that wouldn't be popular, either.
"I ventured into town at 9.30am. The only place open was Boots…I know many people from outside Ruthin who do not come here because they do not know if anything is actually open. I popped in on [a] bank holiday Monday. Only place open was Ruthin Décor, B&M and Tesco."
This does slightly overstate things but it isn't far off the truth. Shopkeepers don't have a good record at opening with some shops opening late and closing early. Here, though, it's chicken and egg. To open earlier, we need town centre shoppers. Shoppers won't come if they know shops aren't open.
The problem's the same on a Saturday afternoon but small market towns throughout Britain struggle after 1 p.m. on what before the 1980s was the busiest shopping day of the week.
And between Christmas & new year, it was no different this year to last, with a number of shops simply giving up. Who's to blame them if we cannot show our support. Family businesses work hard and there's often not the resilience to open all hours. It was interesting, though, to see all three estate agents open during the festive week. Last year, only Cavendish Ikin did so and they made a fuss about the number of sales during this otherwise lean period in housing.
"Charity shops have almost zero overheads, so most can pay for their company cars, PAs , company directors pay, etc, then the little that's left will go to their chosen charity."
The original question asked, "Just how many hairdressers, charity shops and tea rooms does one town need?" Hairdressers and teashops indicate prosperity. A large proportion of charity shops is indicative of decline. But, even here, we must be careful, for charity shops have a place in recycling otherwise unwanted or unloved goods at reasonable prices, something that you rarely find in mainstream shops. The likes of Pass it On, Simmi's dress exchange and Elysium, all of which offered sustainable clothing, are all gone.
It's not that Rhuthun currently has many charity shops. We have just four, which is actually a tiny proportion of our overall tally of shop units. Dinbych sports three. Yr Wyddgrug has three times Rhuthun's number. In Rhuthun, the Greyhound Society's shop is a rather interesting find. The Children's Society has recently been refitted. We should remember that it was started in 1993 as a temporary affair by our own Ena Woolford, Gladys Carey and Margaret Roberts. I do not know whether any of Rhuthun's charity shops help support high or lavish living on the part of their directors but senior third sector pay lags behind that in the private sector. The shops are trading arms but the charities themselves need to satisfy the Charity Commissioner.
"Parking is an absolute joke [with] nowhere near enough spaces"
Can't have it both ways. Assuming we don't wish to knock down or concrete over space to make new car parks, if this assertion is true, either we need to ration space by *increasing* charges (gulp) or Rhuthun residents and visitors need to park at the less popular car parks (e.g. Park Road or Crispin Yard). St Peter's Square is busiest, followed by Market Street. Rarely is Market Street so full that you need to search elsewhere. I have never failed to find a space in Dog Lane though it is often busy.
A school of thought suggests St Peter's Square should be pedestrianised rather than used for parking. To an extent, this was explored under former mayor and town councillor Gavin Harris's 2011 "Masterplan" on the future of Rhuthun. Whatever happened to that?
"Make a 'proper' one-way system around town and then with one carriage way free, put free short-stay parking outside all the shops"
Again, I think we need to be careful for what we wish. More on-street parking would be popular for many, of that there's no doubt, but it would severely disrupt the visual impact in a conservation area, the very thing that appeals to visitors and brings them in. And wouldn't the necessary one-way system come with considerably increased traffic speeds? All this would result in a far less pleasant town centre in which to shop. In another bird analogy, geese and golden eggs spring to mind.
"[It] started in late 80s when [the council] banned people drinking on top of town, how many pubs gone? Loads [of] shops gone, too"
The facts do not support the argument that "loads [of] shops [have] gone". There's certainly been a restructure in shopping types and a considerable churn of traders but, currently, there are fewer vacant units in Rhuthun than in many years. But this is no more or less than for any of its neighbours. Occupation rates in Rhuthun are higher than the national average.
As for the effect of banning people from drinking on the streets, I don't feel qualified to comment. Some would argue that this was a good thing. In terms of pub closures, you only need to read Geraint Owen's book and its predecessor volume to know that over the centuries, inns have come and gone—especially gone. Things were stable on the pub front for more than 25 years till the Wynnstay went on the market in 2009 and subsequently closed, followed in 2012 by The Anchor and a year ago the Olde Cross Keys. The Star's reopened in recent times and under four managements is now a bistro. The Myddleton has similarly changed emphasis. A couple are on the market at present but remain open. Are such changes the result of (a) the credit crunch come recession; (b) Wetherspoon's; or (c) changes of habit fuelled by cheap supermarket alcohol prices?