THE FUTURE OF BARNES COULD STILL BE ROSY

Many residents of Barnes have invested an enormous amount of money in their property.  If too many shops close, there will be a domino effect and the shopping areas will become zones of neglect and deprivation.  The heart of Barnes could suffer urban blight and as a result their investment will be affected.  This is not an exaggeration.  There are areas where this has already happened in the UK and not always predictably, for Chester is one unexpected victim.

Moreover most Barnes residents like to visit their shops, for sociable reasons and to feel that they have a part to play in the community. 

Our small shops offer things that the bigger chains cannot.  These are:

1. Convenience – most residents can walk to and around the shops and enjoy the experience.
2. Shopping in a calm and delightfully pleasant environment.  The crowds are never too great and we can pause by the pond or the river, which must make our shopping experience rather unique. 
3. Freedom from being identified as “the (faceless) market”.  There is no piped muzak.  We are free of “in your face” promotions.  We don’t feel we are being manipulated.  We feel conversations with our retailers are honest and genuine and not rote learned and robotic.
4. Unique goods – many of our traders know our tastes and work hard at visiting fairs to purchase items within our price range and to our liking.  They also stock brand names that they know we like to buy.
5. Personal service.  Our retailers spend time with their customers.  Many are well known to them.  They go out of their way to be helpful.
6. Their product knowledge is superb and we can call upon that with trust.
7. Many of Barnes shops have built a strong sense of customer loyalty.

 

Typical reviews taken from the web:

I feel so lucky to live so close to such a great shop. Their selection is always great and their service always comes with a smile and a helpful hint or two.

Lovely local shop. Old-fashioned but with fresh produce every day. Can arrange special delivery to your home.

This shop is the comfortably the best of its kind in London, providing quality service with a world class selection of the product from the traditional to the obscure.   They have everything.   More than happy to recommend.  Definitely worth visiting.   A must for tourists and locals alike.

 

In 2009 the Which? Holiday guide cited Barnes as one of the top ten places to visit in the UK.  This is how they described us:

Nestling in a loop of the Thames, the affluent riverside suburb of Barnes is a favourite place to visit. Pretty little country lanes, cosy olde-worlde pubs and peaceful bank-side walks let you forget that you’re actually still in London. (The 15 minute journey from Waterloo or the bus ride from Hammersmith is proof!) There’s also the 120 acres of Barnes Common, a beautiful nature reserve that makes you feel a million miles away from the capital, (in fact you’re around 6 miles south-west of Charing Cross).

 

However Barnes has been teetering on the edge of decline, as shown by its 25 long standing empty shops.  Many other businesses are working to tight margins.  Recently a few green shoots have emerged to give us optimism.   Interest and activity can be seen, at last in some of the vacant shops and it remains to be seen if the overall number falls this year.  Market forces are giving potential retailers good bargaining positions and landlords are having to reconsider their strategies. 

However we cannot be complacent.  It would be good if we could gentrify Barnes so that it was more secure as the hub of our community.  There are many ways in which we can try:

1. Research, to check hunches and understand changes in shopping in Barnes.
2. Encourage landlords to fill empty shops.
3. Attempt to discuss ways forward with Howard de Walden Estates, Northcote Road Trading Group and Mary Portas, if possible.
4. Promote Barnes with our web site, links with other web sites, promotional materials – Barnes bag, etc.
5. Loyalty card, wedge card or similar.
6. Banners, planting to improve the retail appearance.
7. Events.
8. Barnes friendly map for visitors to pick up and walk around the shops.
9. Barnes historic map, for the same.
10. Council to review parking restrictions.
11. Sign posting to barnes village.
12. Barnes residents to be encouraged to shop locally more.
13. Attempt to get publicity.