Shrewsbury bouncing back after surviving the storm

Cobbled streets, curious shuts and passageways, historic buildings, two shopping malls and an abundance of independent shops – Shrewsbury is a shopping gem.

So say the people who work, shop and live there – the very characters who bring the historic county town to life each day.

Pride Hill, its main shopping parade, is bustling. Shoppers dip in and out of its shops thronging the streets, benches are full of young mothers chatting and pensioners taking a break while music from street buskers pervades the air.

The town centre may have lost a succession of well-known names when the storm whipped up by the recession swept the country, leaving a trail of empty shops and broken dreams in its wake. Woolworth's, Ethel Austin, branches of Clintons and HMV, Jacques Vert and Argos all fell victim to the economic downturn.

But traders say Shrewsbury is a survivor with some even saying that shoots of improvement are tentatively starting to emerge.

Peter Nutting, owner of Sports and Games, has been a trader in Shrewsbury town centre for 22 years.

He said:?"The high street on the whole is pretty full, even though we have had quite a severe recession and for a couple of years it was quite hard at times.

"We are now seeing a gentle improvement. But it could go either way yet," added Mr Nutting who is also a Shrewsbury Town councillor and one-time leader of the now defunct Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council.

"What we need to find out is if the gentle improvement is because of the nice weather we have had or whether it is an economic improvement.

"There is a different feel to the town but I wouldn't say that trade is any less even though I think there are less people in the town.

"But it is quite interesting now that it is the shopping centres that seem to struggle to fill their units The rest of the town seems to have survived much better."

He said part of the problem clouding the town today was parking charges – not so much their introduction, but more about the way people have to pay for them.

"In Shrewsbury if people travel from Mid Wales for an hour or so they do not want to use the Park and Ride, they want to be able to use the car and park as near to the shops as possible."

He said actually paying the charges should be made easier like Telford, where shoppers are given change when they pay for their tickets.

He even suggested making Frankwell's long stay car park a pay on exit car park so shoppers didn't have to worry about having the correct change for a pay and display ticket.

Independent trader Margharita Bates has co-owned Appleyards delicatessen on Wyle Cop for the last 13 years.

She also said one of the main issues the town was facing was parking. And she said council leaders should be helping traders by doing more to encourage shoppers into the town.

Mrs Bates said Shropshire Council had introduced free parking on one day in the run up to Christmas – but it was too late in the day to catch most of the shoppers.

Also in the town centre is Shrewsbury's Market Hall which has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity.

Organic butcher William Dodd has had a unit at the market for 12 years.

The former Crewe Alexandra footballer, who also played for Leeds United as a schoolboy when Don Revie was manager, became a butcher after he retired due to injury.

He said he had seen his business flourish recently thanks to television cookery shows and in the aftermath of the horsemeat scandal.

"Certainly in the last seven months, we have been a lot busier," he says.

He said the recession had certainly hit, but he believed that it had been harder for the "outside" trader.

Florist Lin Tisdale has had her own stall at the market hall for more than 22 years.

She says the reason the market was so popular was because they offer the personal touch that the big supermarkets can't. Shoppers including Sue Hollis, who lives near Oswestry, and her friend Margaret Parry, of Shrewsbury, often go shopping in Shrewsbury.

The one thing they said the town centre would benefit from was a new department store.

Their views were echoed by Mr Nutting. "Whether it is Debenhams or John Lewis. It would help the town quite a lot."

He said Shrewsbury stood out from the rest largely because of its independent shops and traders and because of its heritage.

"The town has got more listed buildings, old buildings than any other town in England. We need to make the most of that.

"Shrewsbury is a nice pleasant town to spend the day in. You can do your shopping in a nice atmosphere," he said. "Shrewsbury is special."