Time for another (brief) look at Ayr’s old shopping arcades – and revelations about Hourstons

The recent shop and shopping centre closures in Ayr continue to lead to fascinating history.

In no particular order, the last one I mentioned, the Lorne Arcade, turns out to be more interesting than its small size suggests. Originally opening some time around 1900, this was renamed the Central Arcade at some point, but following renovations completed in 1991, returned to its original name and, as noted, is the only one still in operation.

It seems there was an attempt to capitalise on the idea of such things by subdividing larger stores, creating smaller units within, and indoor markets.

One name came up which I don’t think I recognise, The Forum Centre, said to have been in the High Street, but seemingly disappeared without any trace, has no pics I can find (online or in books), and is yet another case that shows how farcical the online review websites are, with a number of them promising details of this non-existent destination. Morons must create entries for names like this, regardless of whether they exist. I suspect they just copy one another’s material, and hope to get advertising revenue from sources that don’t check.

There is also mention of an unnamed venue in Carrick Street, which I suspect may later have developed into The Kyle.

Carrick Street and Newmarket Street were pedestrianised in 1980, to help with trade.

Hourstons – not actually Hourstons since 1949

Although Hourstons really was Hourston’s when David Hourston opened his new style of shop in 1896, it was bought by House of Fraser in 1949, when it underwent a name change, and became Arnotts.

This lasted until 1989, when it was acquired by McMaster Stores, and the Hourstons name went back up as it traded under the former name.

Notably, Tesco closed (and demolished) its 1974 Boswell Park store, to reopen at an out-of-town venue near the racecourse, in 1991.

These changes continue, and it’s notable that all the major supermarkets (Safeway, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi, Lidl etc)have avoided the town centre, either moving out some years ago, or opening outside the town. Given the size of their stores, area they cover, and number of shoppers (plus their cars, or more likely huge SUVs demanding even more space today), it’s an inevitable change as Ayr’s town centre is simply too compact to accommodate them all.

Clearly more to come (and already has).

Not really funny story about Ayr regeneration

Bad timing yesterday, as I was almost swamped by a mob of blue rinse, walking stick wielding ‘ladies’ swarming out of Ayr’s Town Hall just as I happened to pass the door.

(NOT an actual pic, so nobody to try to recognise! It’s actually an AI generated ‘photo’ based on a description of the scene. Might be handy for illustrative graphics of scenes where I can’t risk a pic.)

While I was able to avoid personal harm (by stepping back and letting them go first), I was less fortunate as I walked behind them, and heard their comments as the group turned from Sandgate into High St, and the new public realm (I recently posted about) came into view, complete with the community facility, which their friends have described as a ‘Scout Hut’.

To man, sorry, woman, their contempt for this new public area, was unanimous, with various comments about how horrible the open area looked, how it was wrong for the town, and how it would never last.

This is a shame on many levels.

The job is done, and the area will be open to the public soon, and deserves to fail or succeed based on the response of the public, not a group of wrinkles set in their ways over some 70 years, and who still live in the past.

Leave things in their hands, and I suspect the growing number of empty shops I mentioned would probably turn into streets lined with empty shops.

I’m actually thankful that although I may be catching up on them rapidly as I age, my mind is nothing like theirs, and I live today, not in the world of generations long gone.

I wonder what they were doing in the Town Hall?

Probably berating the councillors for allowing the man with the red flag to be carried ahead of horseless carriages to be removed as a requirement in the town.

Ayr may finally be moving forward – new development is almost done

Walking through Ayr town centre recently was both depressing and encouraging.

Past visits have shown the larger (and older) retailers unable to survive today’s world, and seeing the old Hourstons shop derelict was a personal blow (I wasted hours in there). Then there was Woolworths, and it neighbours – all gone.

And some have changed, like this former favourite.

Then there’s the near derelict Lorne Arcade, emptier every time I walk through (and apparently controversial too – see the media).

More recently (the past few days to be exact) it was impossible not to notice the alarming number of small shops lying vacant around the town centre now, and a derelict former shopping arcade in the High Street.(The Kyle, I think, but I never really went in).

But, there was a BIG surprise when I reached the end of the High Street, where it meets New Bridge Street at the Town Hall – the land where Woolworths used to stand, and the derelict buildings were not only completely gone, but a new recreational area and community building were in their place, and almost complete.

They’re so new, I almost gave up trying to find info about them online (who says the Internet see all?), but eventually dug up these three links – presumably more will appear once the area opens:

Green Light for Ayr Riverside Regeneration Masterplan

Plans for historic Ayr site approved after seven-year wait

Radical Ayr transformation to begin within weeks as town centre regeneration gets underway

They give some insight into the problems of moving forwards with such plans, and the damage that can be done as delay accumulates.

As one who decries the needless destruction of historic buildings, I find it strange to speak against objectors to this scheme, but there comes a time when a balance has to found.

As an annual visitor to a place I knew well, I don’t want it to change – but I also think it’s not unlike the days when package holidays killed the Scottish seaside resort back in the 1970s.

With luck, some people will wake up, accept change (and the traditionalist will ensure moderation), and thinks will move on.

Meantime, here’s a quick look at the new development along the river near the New Bridge.

Don’t like it?

You’re lucky, you still have a nice beach where you can go ‘pound sand’.

Previously:

Woolworth Gap High St Ayr 30 December 2019

Things are a bit cluttered at the moment, so I just had to shoot what I could to get an idea of what’s changed, but will be back for clearer views later in the year, when the area has been cleared and opened to the public.

Since I was last there, the building seen on the left has been taken down to finally clear the site and open up the view.

Looking along the High Street now.

Viewed from The New Bridge.

The bow-fronted building on the right was built by Alexander Stevens in 1787, who may have altered the plans for the New Bridge (completed 1788), believed to be by Robert Adam. Apparently a certain Mr Burns predicted it would be washed away, and it did actually suffer damaged in the storms of 1877, when part of it was washed away.

Specifically, Mr Burns was referring to the FIRST New Bridge, dating from 1787.

The bridge in the pic is the SECOND New Bridge, and dates from – surprise! – 1877.

Those dates messed my head, not sure if down to dyslexia, OCD, or ADHD 😦

Moving along to The Auld Brig, I collected another couple of views which show how the area has been opened up, and include The Cutty Sark Centre on the left, the new community pavilion (which has apparently been such an upset to the traditionalists, even said to be in breach of planning guidelines) – but it has TOILETS!

A last look along the High Street, towards The New Bridge.

I’m sorry for the objectors, who have said the new building looks like a ‘Scout Hut’, and that it’s low profile and appearance don’t match the grandeur of Ayr’s existing architecture.

All I can say is ‘Thank goodness’!

What do they want?

Tacky reproductions and copies of that ‘grand architecture’?

Where that has been done, it usually comes out more like a mockery than a tribute, as it uses modern materials, and has to comply with modern day regulations regarding construction, materials, and access.

Times change – move on!

I can’t wait until they get the site cleared and open, and I can get to the edge for a view along the river – previously restricted to the opposite bank, from Ramsey Gardens.

Spooky coincidence – as Ayr’s Sandgate News bites the dust

I can’t be the only one to feel a tear well up in the corner of their eye as I note the passing of a long-standing favourite feature in Ayr – the sight of the little newsagent and souvenir shop on the roundabout on the corner of Ayr’s Sandgate, across from the bus station.

Sandgate News stood there since at least the 1960s (to my knowledge), and who knows how long before that.

I must have spent a fair chunk of my childhood wandering around the place looking at the standard souvenirs and items from ‘Auld Ayr’, not to mention the saucy seaside postcards that were a standard of the day (and are apparently being threatened by ‘woke’ culture).

I already miss the place, as it closed some time ago, meaning I could no longer stare at the standard seaside offerings that used to fill its windows. The ‘Spooky Coincidence’ arises from the fact that I just collected a pic of its replacement a matter of hours ago – and my email notification ‘bell’ just sounded to alert me to a ‘like’ of a blog post, and that post turned out to be last year’s pic of the shop shortly after its refurbishment had been started!

I hadn’t been in any hurry to add any of the pics I just collected while in Ayr, but given the ‘Spooky Coincidence’, I suppose I have no choice but to start on them, beginning with this one.

I’m just sorry I got it wrong in that previous post, and mistook elimination of the old place for refurbishment, since I thought it was just going through another update, as happened as recently as 2015.

This one hits almost as bad as the closure of the ‘Fruit Basket’ some years ago, another Sandgate shop just along the street, and which meant even more to me in terms of memories.

I really do feel as if I am being followed and victimised as places that meant something to me are being systematically removed. It’s almost creepy.

Worrying moment in supermarket last week

I had an odd ‘revelation’ while wandering around a supermarket last week.

The place was almost deserted, not unusual in itself as I choose to go shopping in the evening, when the daytime mobs have departed after picking the shelves clean as they panic buy, and it wasn’t even one of those days when there were vast voids on some shelves, where the ‘colleagues’ had nothing to fill them with.

The horrible thought I had just had was, “Good grief! I hope I’m not wandering around this place with the same face on me as all the old folk I see“.

I was considering digging out the face covering I still carry lest I land in a ‘risky’ place, or the alert level is raised some day.

It was alarming to see their faces, almost all the same mixture of blank disbelief and fear/worry.

I can only assume we were all looking at the prices in this particular supermarket (no, I’m not saying which), and wondering which bank to rob next, before we went out shopping for food again.

I’ve only started wandering into this name recently as their shops are further than most, and I only extended my walking range recently. But in the past week or two, it felt almost as if their prices were rising as I was walking around the store, and this week’s visit was no exception as I could see prices I’d noted last week had gone up again this week.

As noted, the look on the faces of the elderly shoppers made me sure they were thinking the same, and I really did hope I didn’t have the same look on my face. I shouldn’t, since I don’t buy any of the items I was spotting, and confine myself to bargains and reductions (while they still exist).

The worrying thing, which I’m sure I noted in a previous post about supermarket/food prices, is the range of goods being targetted for price increases. NOT the expensive stuff, which could almost have increases made that are almost invisible, but many of the lower priced and economy ranges, which have seen increases in recent weeks which amount to almost 50% increases.

Think I’m exaggerating?

Try simple digestive biscuits – people have probably already forgotten these were 31 p for a standard pack (400 g) a few weeks ago. Now? Same pack, 45 p.

Eggs were 99 p for 15 a while ago, then made a 2-step jump, first to £1.29, then not long after, to £1.35 for the same box.

I didn’t buy it very often, but there was a range of cheese at £1.79 (not sure of weight, maybe 400 g, but don’t quote me), but I’m leaving it on the shelf for the moment, as the last time I looked it had gone straight up to £2.35.

No wonder pensioners on fixed income are wandering around supermarkets looking like zombies, and I found others had made similar posts online recently, including YT videos.

Sorry I couldn’t get a better pic, didn’t want to catch anybody local, who might have been recognisable. There’s a load of ‘zombie in supermarket’ pics to be had, but zombies remain my least favourite and least convincing genre/cosplay, so not happening in here.

We haven’t seen price increases for food for years, despite the whining heard from some groups.

I wonder if the effect of recent events will, or is for that matter, releasing something that could be likened to taut rubber bands or an overwound clock/watch mainspring?

In future, will everything be sold individually when packet sizes can’t be reduced any more?

Imagine the day when our descendants will have to buy stuff like salt and sugar by the grain, and bags of such things will be distant memories, fantasies spoken of only as myths.

Anybody remember digital shelf prices?

This reminded of a ‘feature’ that apparently didn’t gain traction when trialled many years ago.

Back in the days when 7-segment red LED displays had become popular, someone came up with the idea of replacing the paper shelf prices with these displays.

It did make some sense since, even then, all the supermarkets were using a centralised database to record product details, stock levels, sales, prices etc, so it seemed obvious/inevitable that shelf prices would eventually be tied into that system, and end the need for staff to wander around pulling bits of paper from behind clear plastic on the shelf, and replacing them with new pieces of paper, with the new prices.

Think of it like the digital price displays on petrol stations, where the price can be changed instantly to reflect the latest fuel crisis, or tax increase.

I remember seeing pics of the digital shelf system, but never saw it in real life, so it would seem it sank without trace, and was only noticed by a few people in the related industries.

Just think if it had been adopted.

Customers in supermarkets would be able to camp out in the aisles, and wait for the price to drop on their favourite treats, and then clear the shelves like flocks of locusts!

Another sad loss to the old face of Ayr

I was recently insulted by a visitor to the blog, when accused of being ‘YOU PEOPLE’ when I expressed my displeasure at the approval of yet another high-rise building in Glasgow.

Apparently I am sort of moron who doesn’t want to see any sort of progress in Glasgow, and wants it to languish in ruin and decay, locked in the past.

By way of contrast, my critic wants Glasgow to sport the latest and tallest buildings as it is developed (the taller the better apparently, as the height indicates how modern and progressive a city is) and the sooner it looks like every other European city, the better it will be,

I’d like to know how that works – how making a city look like every other city is a useful metric of its success.

I’d rather see Glasgow maintain its unique perspectives, such as its heritage of low level tenement building, typically four or five stories, with special permission being reserved for more distinctive structures that are permitted to rise above that level.

Note that I don’t say every old building should be retained, or that there should be no new builds either – merely that what made/makes Glasgow unique be retained.

And so to Ayr

I thought that intro might be appropriate, given my next subject.

I was sad to see one of the last remaining ‘older’ shopfronts in Ayr succumb to renovation which included a major change in its appearance.

I think nearly all the unique shops/shopfronts have been lost from the town, with only the more conventional standard layout of two windows aside an entrance surviving in any older premises, such as seen at ‘Gamesport of Ayr’, along the street and Number 60. The rest have seen modernisation, removing unconventional facades, and/or the replacement of original structure with extruded aluminium sections, and perspex signage,

The original of this little shop (I kind of grew up in this shop, amongst other in this street), long a source of the classic double entendre holiday postcard, novelties, and souvenirs of Ayr, did see something of a renovation a couple of decades or so back (I don’t know exactly when, as I believe I was out of circulation at the time), when it lost the windows which faced towards the Sandgate roundabout. However, the shop layout seemed to remain essentially as it had always been.

Fast-forward to the pic I just took, and there are major changes underway – that closed window has gone, to be replaced by a double door. The original door opening can still be seen between the two windows on the longer side of the premises, on the right.

That means the shop’s layout has gone too.

Sandgate News Refurbishment

Doubtless, my ‘Glasgow Critic’ would be quick to put me down for not embracing this change unreservedly.

Since I’ve no idea what this will ultimately be like when completed, I won’t feed the troll with any further thoughts, at least not until the work is done, and we see what arrives.

I’m reminded of being reunited with Rothesay some years ago, when it took a few visits (after a VERY extended break) for me to work out what was wrong.

It took a while, but I eventually worked out that I was missing the old glass windows which created a sort of ‘glass corridor’ as you entered a number of the shops.

These windows could be three or four metres deep, and were filled with items sold by the shop.

But, as those three or four metres extended into the floor space of those shops, they were seen as ‘non-productive’, so had to go, as sales practice moved from service to self-service, and valuable floor space was lost to them, and the space had to be turned over to product shelves.

World’s slowest shopfitting

I’m not sure how long ago I got a ‘Hat Tip’ about a new cafe opening in Shettleston, but it was so long ago I was sure I’d missed it after I had to change my route and didn’t pass the spot for weeks/months after being alerted.

I was wrong, and even thought the tip was a dead one, since there was no work evident on the empty unit when I did eventually get back.

But that was wrong too, and I eventually spotted work had started, but seemed to be going very slowly, and again I thought it had died.

Then I passed a few weeks ago, and spotted doors and windows had appeared, together with posters in the windows promising an opening.

That was a couple of months ago. While it’s still not open, work continues as seen in occasional passes, although I’m not passing this way at the moment, so if it suddenly opens, I’ll probably miss it, although work was still in progress when I did pass recently.

The weather was pretty poor the day I was there for some pics, which had to be taken from some distance (due to the road layout), and the poor camera couldn’t cope with the demand, so they’re pretty bad, but at least readable.

At least the slow progress means it should be bright and sunny when I do get opening pics, and they’ll look better (unless we reach autumn by then).

Gia’s Italian Cafe

Poster detail from windows.

Cafe Gia posters

As an aside, I notice another cafe managed to open and start trading while this one is being prepared.

I only caught it while travelling past, and noted it had opened in one of my favourite shops in Shettleston Road, where I guess the ladies that ran it finally retired. At the same time, I noticed a traditional clothes shop had also gone, presumably as the elderly ladies that ran it also retired.

Both original shops have gone, and I don’t have pics of them.

Learn the lesson that if you think something might disappear, and it should have been obvious these would eventually disappear unless someone took them over, and that was probably unlikely as both were based on layouts that ‘ smart young people’ would have considered obsolete and of no interest… grab a pic or two, just to be safe.

When it’s gone, it’s gone – and you can’t take pics of something that’s not there!

On a positive note, Google’s Street View and timeline mean such thing are no longer total losses when they do vanish without warning,

Glasgow’s High Street Area initiative is gathering pace

I’ve mentioned the plans being put in place to try to regenerate the area of Glasgow around and to the east of High Street, which have lagged behind the rest of the city in terms of revival.

I’ve noted how crossing from the west side of the street to the east is like crossing a border where all the goodies are on the west, and there’s little or nothing on the east.

That’s not really a negative criticism, things really do just come to end at that boundary, and it’s a little disconcerting to cross the road, and find little or no activity. It’s always been like that.

Probably what has changed in recent years has been the gradual disappearance of the various shops and businesses on BOTH sides of High Street (and Saltmarket), where they’ve closed and not been replaced by new occupants.

I used to visit quite a few at one time, and there was a decent baker there, selling fruit tarts at a discount if you bought more than one. But it just went away, despite being busy and popular. The rest of the shop fronts are tired, and need sprucing up, as they are not really that old, but look run down and dated.

Handily, this seems to address what I’ve seen…

A fund will provide support to independent shops on the High Street and Saltmarket, one of the oldest and of the most historically significant thoroughfares in Glasgow, as part of a strategy to regenerate the area.

The appearance and shop fronts and the buildings in which they reside has a considerable impact and influence on an area’s character.

This fund – the Independent Retail Fund (IRF) – is a shop front improvement grant available to tenants and owners of occupied shops on Saltmarket and the High Street.

Glasgow City Council will work with City Property Glasgow Investments and other commercial property owners to provide 100 per cent funds to shops – £5,000 for double units and £3,000 for single units – to enable them to undertake necessary external enhancements and redecoration.

Other improvements will also be made such as removing upgrading signage, replacing damaged tiles and feature lighting for signage or window displays.

Glasgow’s High Street to receive funding boost with new support for independent shops

But they’ll have to attract some more useful shops/businesses there if they are to increase the number of people who stop there.

I pass through here a few times every week, but there’s currently simply no reason for me to stop there.

And that’s a problem.

Saltmarket

Dennistoun is getting interesting shops

What can I say?

I hope they’re still there if/when the weather gets better and I can wander along for a look.

Pear will be opening its doors this weekend.

The super trendy Dennistoun shop, located at 434 Duke Street offers a wide selection of cacti and succulents that you can artfully display in your home.

Glasgow’s first cactus shop is opening in Dennistoun this weekend

I used to have some cacti, on the basis they were pretty hard to kill, and often came up with surprises every few years, like when they suddenly produced some nice looking flowers

I used to like this one, which I always referred to as ‘Mickey Mouse’ 🙂

Mickey Mouse Cactus

Next…

A new plastic-free shop which looks to help people reduce the amount of waste they are putting into the environment is opening in Dennistoun.

Zero Waste Market supplies reusable products like bamboo toothbrushes, metal straws, shampoo bars and reusable sanitary products.

Zero Waste Market will open in Dennistoun in mid-March.

Check out their website to buy products and to keep up to date with news here.

You can also donate to the Zero Waste Market crowdfunding page and help support the new shop here.

Zero waste shop selling plastic-free reusable items to open in Dennistoun

I’ll probably sound like a ‘miserable sod’ for this next comment, but I just don’t buy disposable stuff (other than toilet paper – I find it really hard to wash and dry after I’ve used it once).

I’ll be interested to see what’s on offer as reusable, as there’s lots of stuff that is already ‘reusable’, but most people just don’t bother, or even care, as per the classic example of bottled water, which I see many people buy, take a few swallies, then just toss away, unfinished!

 

Free fruit for kids is news?

I’m always a little concerned when I see headlines splashed like this one…

A supermarket in Glasgow is offering free fruit to children shopping with their parents

NOT because of the offer of free fruit, but because of the line which ran below that bold headline.

Morrisons in Glasgow is hoping to improve children’s health and reduce waste.

I’m not ‘children’ (or even ‘kids’), so haven’t really paid much attention to a stall in our Shettleston Tesco, but it has offered ‘Free Fruit For Kids‘ for months.

I’m sure I’ve seen others, but again, of no use to me, so I haven’t really paid them any attention, other than to think it’s at least an effort, but do the kids want to play?

If this news had perhaps featured an article featuring how ALL (or maybe many) Glasgow supermarkets, or maybe referred to Tesco (and any other offering such free fruit), I might not have questioned it, but as it only mentions Morrisons, as if that was the only one to do so, it falls short of the standards I’d expect, and feels biased.

Maybe it should have had ‘Sponsored Article’ tacked on to the end.

Sorry, but it’s bad enough having to live with stories that are biased with political ‘spin’ in Scotland these days, without getting the same feeling when reading branded adverts, sorry, articles.

Incidentally, they tried this in Australia a while ago – and parents complained.

They said the displays were ‘unhygienic’.

Sadly, probably true. The ones in our local stores usually have fruit that the kids have taken one bite from, then thrown back into the box.

Wonder how long it will be before there is a campaign to have them outlawed here?

Can’t have the little darlings share their germs etc and develop natural immunities, they have to be kept squeaky clean to avoid that, so they can develop ‘allergies’ instead.

Tesco Free Fruit

Soaves return to Baillieston shops

I recently noted that after moving from the shops in Baillieston – to a vacated former TV shop, then café, on the outskirts – an ice cream parlour appear to have closed, and speculated that the move had not been a good idea as the footfall at the quieter spot was insufficient.

Although not received as a comment here, I was later told the shop had indeed closed, and gone back to shared premises in the middle of the main street, and I would guess a better return from lower operating costs and more passing trade.

Story confirmed when I spotted this recently.

Soaves Return

Referring to the original post…

The little clothes shop is said to have a new taker, and will open again (no details).

And then what can only be described as fantasy…

That the former bank building is going to open under the auspices of one of the big businesses I refer to as ‘Coffee Cons’.

It now has another sign indicating it has restaurant planning permission – but a new restaurant already opened recently, just along the road, so I guess that is not really going to help moving a building this size with its attendant costs of ownership.

A bank might eat those costs for a while, but you will have to be coining it to make this building viable.

Baillieston Bank Building

I won’t give them free publicity by naming them online, but they cost city worker a fortune, selling paper cups of brown slops – coffee with various silly and trendy names – for around £2.50 or more a time.

People fail to think, and buy this stuff, costing them well over £100 a year for little more than hot water.

It’s no wonder these cash black holes use paper cups, and avoid any refers to… MUGS.

If an ice cream parlour can’t cut it here, then I doubt there’s any way a franchisee would be able to cover their costs operating from this deserted area with few customers to pay for such a huge building and the franchise costs.

It’s only the founder that becomes a millionaire and enjoys the trapping of wealth from such plans.