Neely

Is it closing due to lack of business, or is it being bought out by a larger company?

No it's not being bought out it's destined to become yet another empty shop.

One of the main problems lies in the fact that it is surrounded by empty shops which were supposed to be re-generated by the local council but they kept dithering and dithering and now the new government has got in they have scraped the re-generation scheme altogether. This means that about 1/3 of the city centre is empty. Pollards is situated down a side street in town on the edge of all these empty buildings. The owner said that the footfall of people passing the shop has reduced from about 700 to about 70 which means that he can no longer keep the shop open. It always seems busy when I go in (which is Saturday granted) and there is a core customer base who enjoy the cafe and the shop, but obviously this is not enough and they need passing business. I'm really sick about it.

If you then turn your eye just up the road to the High Street you will find countless plastic coffee shops Starbucks and about five mobile phone shops right next to each other - completely soulless. I'm entirely pessimistic about it all and the future.

That really must be a great disappointment. Sounds like there are other shops at other locations, but it doesn't make up for the loss of this particular shop. The same sort of development is happening here in the rural northeastern region of the USA.

In the town I live in, we had a similar problem with our downtown area. Just dead--more closed shops than open, and it's a neat little downtown area, aesthetically speaking. It took a few years, but now it's booming again--restaurants, music venues, and always people about. Not surprisingly, this only happened when the stuffy old men who run the two conceded that young people needed to be targeted, and ta-da! It worked.

I say this because only a few years ago, no one thought my town would recover, and now, in the middle of a recession, it's doing better than ever. It could happen with your area, and maybe the cafe will reopen.

It's a sad happening, Neely. That's for sure. That same sort of thing is happening in the US too -- especially the rural US, where I live. Local establishments of all sorts -- bars, coffee shops, markets. . . going under to cheaper, soul-less (nice description) mass-media type of places that pander the culture's basest desires. And the culture responds in droves.

It's sort of like a funeral, brother Neely; all I can say is that "I'm sorry for your loss".

C

I'm sorry, Neely. People love these places, so I can never understand why there is not enough business to support them. As Comedian pointed out, "the culture responds in droves." It is very depressing.

Thanks, and sorry to hear that it is happening around your areas too, but I'm not surprised really, it's all part of the global march of the mass outlets/corporations and their brainwashing media campaigns. Really the small shops have little chance in comparison, this is especially so considering the fact that the big stores tax dodge and even operate at a temporary loss in order to close down the independent stores. It is all very depressing and hand-in-hand with the cuts, means that I can only see a very bleak future. Let's hope that there is some light ahead, but I fear we won't see it, if at all, for many years to come.

The only "good news" if the anger of the student protests and the group UK Uncut who are making headlines for their direct protests.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh7D6TsxClk&NR=1

That's terrible news Neely. It's a shame that so many independent shops can no longer afford to operate, there should be room on the high street for everyone. We've got big problems in this country as we've so little industry and the big conglomerates aren't going to pull us out of recession, but they are the ones who will be able to take advantage of any tax breaks offered by the government, whilst small business struggles to get off the ground. I'm not sure what/if/how we can do anything about it. We have a similar problem facing Chorley high street where plans to build a massive Asda in the town centre are pretty much guaranteed to close everything else down. From where I live we've got 9 supermarkets within a 10 mile radius (4 x Tesco, 2 x Morrisons, 1 x Asda (soon to be 2), 1 x Sainsburys and 1 x Booths) and pretty much nothing else. I'd use a butcher and greengrocer if there was one. There's just no choice. All the independent shops that close down seem to be being replaced with pound shops, just to add to the woes. It's grim up North, as they say, and getting grimmer by the day.

You could always complain to your MP, unless your MP is the deputy PM in which case there's not really much point is there? Can't see that the current government is doing anything much to help the little people, just their already wealthy friends and benefactors.

Sorry Neely. I can understand how frustrated you must be. It sounds like it was a wonderful shop.

Thanks, I have about enough Pollards coffee to last me two or three more cups and then I'm out. It's the exact coffee they serve in the cafe too so it feels really precious. I'll have to search around for another like it, hopefully I'll find something. I know a nice coffee shop in Lincoln, but hopefully there's something closer to home.

I can only too well understand the situation with the supermarkets - I'm sure I've ranted about them somewhere before too, vile things. There's an Asda being built on the school grounds where I work too - yes on a school's ground! Come later on in the year and the local shops surrounding it will be out of business without a doubt, another blot on the landscape.

I avoid supermarkets at all costs, when I can. I go to the market in the town centre and buy my food from real people not corporations, once a week, but even that is under threat. The council are putting the rates up 40% by the end of the month which will put many out of business. There is a protest which I've obviously signed, but it remains to be seen if it is enough. If the market goes too I will be really outraged and I'm sure not to be alone.

In terms of Clegg I can tell you that there is going to be trouble. He's not my MP but he is visiting his constituency in the coming weeks and the extra security is costing £2 million alone. He is a real hate figure in Sheffield, especially with the students, and I wouldn't bet on him remaining in power for long in one way or another. The leader of the council, the plant pot Paul Scriven, is another joke.

I'll do what I can politically, writing letters, signing petitions etc, but it is indeed feeling grim up north at the moment. It’s feeling pretty grim everywhere.