A business community, who at the end of last year were celebrating their success in a nationally based grant funded scheme, are now weeks away from seeing their dreams turned into reality.
The North Bar Traders Association (NBTA), set up at the beginning of 2012, have been working on developing The Georgian Quarter in Beverley for the last 18 months. Determined to succeed the task was made easier when they got funding under the Mary Portas inspired “Our Town First” Initiative. Set up under the Governments strategy to breathe life back into High Streets and town centre shopping areas, Beverley was one of just 100 town’s to get any money.
“Its been a long haul since last October when we got the news that our submission had been successful. Before that we had been entirely self-funded’ said David Bird one of the founder members of the NBTA “We got the news last October and it meant we could progress our plans for The Georgian Quarter even faster. We already had contributions from individual retailers and businesses and a promise of help from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council but the Our Town First money, whilst not a fortune, has helped us a lot. We now have enough funds to start developing and branding a meaningful shopping destination for locals, those who regularly come to Beverley to shop and tourists and visitors”.
So what is The Georgian Quarter. It’s a group of businesses in North Bar Within and North Bar Without who have realised that by working together to establish and promote their area they can make a real difference. By coming together as a group they can become a real force in retail, leisure and commercial activities, not just in the town but in the region as a whole. The retail is made up of a wide and varied mix of independent, specialist and boutique shops. When it comes to food and drink the offer is very varied from friendly pubs to fine dining and everything in between. Alongside this eclectic mix are commercial businesses who have thrived serving the local community and further afield.
“We are all very excited by the strategy that we have developed and that has now been created by the group and its retail consultants Communique” continued David “This is not a simple rebranding, it has the support of 26 retail outlets, 16 businesses with a food and drink offer and 11 service based businesses, over 50 companies in total. The support we have received from members and their staff has been fantastic. In five years time we will look back on 2013 as the year we started to regenerate Beverley’s northern central busi-ness district and make it a major local and regional lifestyle and shopping destination”
This enthusiasm has seen retailers attending planning meetings and presentations. A local integrated marketing and design agency, Communique and internet developer, Indicoll have all been recruited to The Georgian Quarter team. But it is the businesses on North Bar Without and Within who have provided the support necessary for a scheme like this to work.
“We are putting into place the finished plans for the first stage in making the North Bar area a place that will rival other town centre developments” said Barry Gibson another Georgian Quarter business owner “These plans include promotions, events, a dedicated website and signage. It’s great news for Beverley, for the town’s residents and businesses. We want to turn the North Bar shopping area into the premier fashion and lifestyle destination in East Yorkshire. One of the most historically important streets in the region will once again become synonymous with design style and chic. Shoppers and visitors will start to notice the improvements over the coming weeks, including the rebranding of the area and our Grand Launch Event on Saturday 15th June “.
