Business owner says Spon Street 'could be like York Shambles' but one factor drives shops away

[dutchman]

The condition of Coventry's medieval Spon Street has been thrown into focus in recent weeks



A long time business owner on Spon Street has attributed the areas decline to increasing rents, saying its driven away businesses that attract visitors to the area.

John Aspell, who runs Aspell & Company jewellers, occupies a mediaeval building that once sat on Much Park Street, now home to the city’s combined courts and Coventry University. The building was moved brick by brick from the area and while he’s stayed on the street, he’s seen plenty of others leave over the past decade.

“There used to be a picture frame shop, a butchers, furniture over the road, all sorts of quirky little shops up and down the road. The rent goes up unreasonably and they think, 'well that’s it'.

“It was a destination. When visitors used to come, they’d have something a bit like The Shambles in York or Chester.”

John said it wasn’t just that shops were leaving but that those replacing them were not bringing in visitors in the same way. While he said places like the hairdressers down the road and The Old Windmill pub were still destinations bringing people in, shops that had been replaced with takeaways or convenience shops didn’t have the same draw.

“There was a teddy bear shop that would bring people from all over the Midlands that would sell Steiff teddy bears and dolls houses. Now that’s gone, where would you go now?”

When CoventryLive visited the street again, the butcher’s shop, which promoted itself as “probably Coventry’s oldest butcher” was shuttered and John mentioned the building with the history placard covering the empty window was a former art shop.

By sheer observation, it was also clear the large amount of foot traffic on Corporation Street was not heading anywhere near Spon Street. They also were not spending their lunch break hanging out there as people were in Belgrade Square close by.

John believed a lot more could be done to the area to attract visitors as other cities with mediaeval quarters had done in other parts of the country. He also agreed with comments recently made by tour guide Pru Poretta in which she said “if it were in Warwick or Stratford-upon-Avon, it would be full of people.”

He said: “Visitors sometimes come into our shop to have a look around and I’ve met people who’ve said ‘I lived in Coventry all my life and I didn’t know we had this.’ And when they say that, I just can’t believe it.

“They need to make the rents much more reasonable. There are people here who can barely afford to stay here.”