|
|
 |
| |
Don't let the little shops down
Small businesses are part of the unique
character of London’s streets. Specialist bookshop owner
Tim Bryers explains why we must hold onto them
Tim Bryers specialises in 16th to 18th-century books and
maps |
MENTION Charing Cross Road to any visitor to London and the
number 84 will probably come irresistibly to mind, doubtless
associated with images of eccentric booksellers – whether
it be a repressed Anthony Hopkins, corresponding to the point
of excess, or a rather less repressed Bernard Black communing
with a bottle of something red.
Charing Cross Road means books, and has done since the road
was built in the 1880s, but yet again its unique character is
under immediate threat, thanks to a proposed rent hike that
seems wholly unjustifiable in the present retail climate.
It is not just one road that London stands to lose either –
this is the toughest time that small businesses across our capital
have ever known, and if cloning hits the very heart of London,
the heart of London itself will stop beating.
Lest you think me an ancient, inveterate moaner, with no grip
on commercial reality, I should explain that I am 32 years old,
have never written a letter about the fate of the Routemaster,
and at the age of 30 I was able to open my own shop specialising
in 16th to 18th-century books and maps in Cecil Court, which
boasts 22 specialist shops and has been famous among bibliophiles
for 80 years.
The Charing Cross Road shops were sold by the GLC to a charity,
Soho Housing Association, about 15 years ago, and it was understood
at the time that rents were not to be forced – the charity
was to behave responsibly.
Charities will no doubt argue that they should get as much money
as possible for their causes, but there are several reasons
why they won’t be doing themselves, or Londoners, any favours
in the long-run.
A crippling 60 per cent rent rise, 10 times that recently negotiated
with the more understanding Salisbury estate in Cecil Court,
will certainly force the bookshops out as intended, and in their
place will come a few high street brand names, paying top whack,
but most units will probably stay empty.
Despite the monstrous system of rewarding landlords with tax
breaks based on the ‘market value’ of commercial properties
standing empty, it is hard to see how the charity will ultimately
benefit its dependents.
If you don’t believe me, stroll along New Row, the main
thoroughfare between Leicester Square and Covent Garden, which
ought to be thriving.
It used to host a clock restorer, a scientific instrument dealer
and other delights, but Tesco and Waterstone’s moved in
and were willing to pay huge amounts of money to be there, and
the street has become half empty in recent years.
The same fate could await Charing Cross Road. A few chain stores,
a few bargain shops, and a few smaller people trying to establish
a toehold and failing.
From the point of view of the charity which now owns the property,
at least the booksellers offer continuity.
One might argue that if people wanted the goods, then surely
they could hold their own?
The fact is that big chains can even afford to run branches
at a loss, in a very aggressive manner, until the local competition
has been driven under.
They play dirty. And if the cloners win?
But, who will make the journey into the centre to go to Next
or Gap, or Starbucks or Borders, when they can go to Brent Cross
or Bluewater?
Stop and think about the service that small, independent shops
provide.
Many booksellers of my acquaintance are fiercely proud about
what they do, they offer knowledge and experience, stock what
appeals to them rather than what head office dictates and can
hunt down specific things for customers.
To cap it all, browsing in a real shop is more fun – you
never know what you might find.
Streets like mine actively draw tourists, and are damned useful
for the people who live here as well.
Unfortunately it is all on a knife-edge, and the next few years
will see how it all goes.
Overseas visitors, faced with a strong pound and fears of a
terrorist attack, are jumpy about travelling abroad.
The internet continues to nibble away, but I believe people
will begin to return to real shops.
What is needed is support from landlords (with an eye to their
long-term advantage), Westminster Council and the Mayor, celebrating
the contribution small businesses make to the character of London.
We also need a few of you to come shopping!
|
| |
|
|
|
