Broadmead back from the ashes

With the opening of Cabot Circus in 2008, Bristol celebrated a leap from 27th to 11th in the UK shopping destinations league table, with the shopping centre since welcoming more than 100 million visitors. 

With this, many of Bristol’s big retailers upped and moved from the previously bustling Broadmead to join the Cabot elite. The knock on effect, many claim, was the rapid decline of Broadmead. Empty units sandwiched between pound shops made Broadmead not much more than an unsavoury walkway to Cabot Circus. Independent shops shut down or headed toward the more trendy Gloucester Road.

“Broadmead became a ghost town,” says Ani Townsend, who runs Milliners’ Guild in St James Arcade. But things are changing, Ani tells us. St James Arcade has been empty neigh on half a decade, but with several new units opening up in the past few weeks, things seem to be looking up. 

“We’re not Cabot’s poor neighbour any more. Broadmead isn’t just full of pound shops and dogs on a string – as some people describe it.”

The Milliners’ Guild is a bespoke hat making shop, a niche market which has to rely on more than just footfall to keep its doors open. These are the kinds of shops that are doing well in the previously abandoned St James Arcade. Amongst the newly opened units are a tattooo parlour, a sweet shop, gift shops and quirky fashion stores.

Ani continues, “What I don’t want to happen is that rent prices go back up and we end up back where we started – that’s my fear. What I hope is that it continues as it’s going and Broadmead gets more independent and quirky, which is what it deserves to be.” 

Times Past Sweet Shop opened just two and a half weeks ago. Wall-to-wall with classic sweets, the shop fits right in with the new look arcade, which is gaining reputation as a destination area. “It’s easy to join in when you see others doing well,” says Times Past owner Adam.  

From the outside, the rise of Broadmead seems to have snowballed in the last few months, however this is in thanks to a lot of hard work put in by those who believe in the area. Almost everyone in the arcade points us towards new independent coffee shop, The Crazy Fox, who invested a lot of money to refurbish the three-story coffee house, which boasts a must-try hot chocolate for £2.30.

Christian “The Flowerman” has also played a big part in helping draw shoppers into the previously abandoned arcade. His avant-garde flower displays leak out onto Broadmead and brings in would-be draws passers by to marvel at his rare and unusual flower displays, which include venus fly traps and other tropical plants. However, it’s hard to escape the cold hard truth and budget Card Factory’s yellow logo still reflects garishly into the window as it stands opposite. While it’s true that more and more should-visit shops are popping up around the area, Broadmead is still predominantly budget shops and low-cost chains.      

Around the corner on Merchant Street, Co-LAB is truly flying the flag for independents. Nestled cosily next to a Starbucks, Co-LAB is collaboration of artists, clothing companies and designers. Co-LAB works with over 150 independent artists and designers in Bristol, however, Co-LAB founder Simone explains it’s not easy for independents to survive in the area. 

“It’s too expensive to be here. We’re a community interest company and the council are helping us to be here and they’re giving us rent relief. But without that support, there’s absolutely no way we could be here. We’re lucky that the council recognise that this is a good thing.” 

Bristol is a city that caters for independents and Broadmead looks set to latch onto that love for local. So it’s worth noting, for the time at least, Broadmead is on the up.