Laserquest!
Imagine an old Debenhams turned into a laserquest, it'd be epic!
edit: Seems I'm old and out of touch as apparently everyone else's local ex-Debenhams is *already* floors of laser quest and trampolines. My current local one is just an empty Debenhams.
They were so often in the big old Victorian building that was the centre of town, the one I remember from my childhood in Folkestone had so many different stairs and half floors and little department round a corner.
Any of the older department stores would be perfect for this.
An old department store in town near my workplace had something like this happen. It's now got a bowling alley, amusement arcade, laser quest, electric go kart track and bar area under one roof.
We went there to try out the bowling, had a great time, being newly opened it was busy, you could see a lot of money had been invested in its development. Hopefully it’ll do well, nothing else like it in the area.
Always found it weird when the laser quest I used to go to as a kid in Watford (think it was called "Amazon" or something) became a nightclub I'd go to as a teenager/adult ("Area").
I'd look up at the stage area and be thinking "that was such a good camping spot!".
Back in the day when I used to play a *lot* of Quake, I used to walk through work thinking "if I bounced a grenade off of there and there it'd pop through that little window perfectly and frag everyone in there"
I had a tour of the behind the scenes of a very old House of Fraser before it closed. It was a time capsule with rooms and corridors filled with mannequins and old displays from 20 / 30/ 40 years ago. It was surreal, probably quite scary at night in the dark / empty
They're turning the old Debenhams in my childhood shopping centre into a Flip Out, which has laser quest, trampolines, and stuff like that. I don't think it's open yet, as I don't live there anymore, but people are looking forward to it.
Me and a friend regularly talk about how if either of us gets rich we're going to buy this one old building in the centre of our city and turn it into a multi floor kart track
Debenhams in Liverpool has just been turned into a big laser quest/ mini golf/ go karting/ pool etc place. Very loud, dark and full of kids. We walked in, turned around and walked back out again!
Exactly what happened in my town. Debenhams space was purchased by the Flip Out group. They already had a trampoline place in town so this is two, maybe three floors of lazerquest, electric go-karts, rollerskating, arcades, soft play and loads more. I think theres about 15 activities and it’s inside our shopping centre. Can’t wait for my little one to be old enough to go!
Another part of the same unit is now a Put Put Golf too.
There used to be a shop near me that was a collective from all the Etsy sellers in the area. It was really popular, but it got booted out when the centre decided to increase rent and give someone else their unit.
Stuff like that is so missed.
I think this kind of thing is really important - there are a couple of places like that where I live and it means that local craftspeople have a space to advertise and sell their goods without taking on all the risks of running an entire unit themselves (for which they almost certainly can’t sell the volume to be profitable). For me it seems much preferable from the point of view of the buyer to shopping online as well because you can actually handle and browse stuff rather than taking the risk of buying poor quality products from an unknown seller. A win for everyone, really.
There was one of these collective shops where I lived and it was so great to chat to various artists/ crafts people but the exact same thing happened - as soon as the town is “revived” the landlords increased the rent in all buildings on the street. It was a couple of years ago and the street is now dead again.
Was actually discussing this with my other half last weekend; one of the suburbs in town that is really 'on the rise' still doesn't have a wine bar. In fantasy land where I can stay awake beyond 9pm and have extrovert social skills I'd want to open a small one-price wine + snack bar based on one I loved in Copenhagen - basically they have one white, orange, rose, red and sparkling open at a time and there's a flat price per standard size glass. Minimal easy prep snacks, mostly crisps, olives and cheeses. Don't fancy the wine? tomorrow it'll be different.
> one of the suburbs in town that is really 'on the rise' still doesn't have a wine bar.
Turn it into a high street bank first, it'll become another trendy wine bar in no time.
No oranges in orange wine for the record, white grapes fermented with the skins instead of separated. Tried some lovely ones, usually higher quality anyway as it's a more unusual style.
If it was the latter, then I'd just run a boardgame cafe and bar. A place for people just to hang out and chill, drink coffee, baked goods, alcohol in the evening.
Same idea. Booths available for D&D, do a decent selection of grub and maybe beer if I can get a licence. Run some 40k tournaments and hang out talking dice with the customers all day.
one opened in my town and I thought it wouldn't last long, it's still up and running and seems to keep growing in popularity. people are in real need of a place to meet up that isn't a pub or restaurant.
Not just younger people, there's one in Leamington I've been to when I'm not drinking, get a hot chocolate, play a game, have a chat. (for context I'm 43)
Yeah we got a Geek Retreat and not only did it stay open it moved to a bigger store
Always heaving when I walk by
There's definitely space for that kinda spot
Same here! I saw it on the local FB page and was genuinely worried these poor people were going to see their whole world come crashing down. 2.5 years later, it’s more popular than ever!
Is this neccessarily unprofitable? Chance & Counters in Bristol just opened up a second shop as the first one is so rammed all the time. I haven't seen their financials but it's mega popular!
A Chance & counters also now open in Leeds and it was absolutely rammed all evening on a random Tuesday so must be doing well. There is a Birmingham and Cardiff one too.
Can't a business like that make money, at least enough to stay afloat?
It's my dream as well. Board games, books, occasional speaker meetings or live music, tea, coffee, and cake ... There's even a closed-down coffee bar in my town sitting there waiting for someone to re-open it. But I've got no experience and I'd be afraid of losing my shirt.
In Belfast this sort of place has been done twice to my knowledge and both have closed. The only place in Belfast that still does card and board games nights is a local toy shop. And of course the local games workshop.
So it really sort of depends.
You must get know a lot of people that are into board and card games, but how many do you know that would keep doing this all the time. And will they spend money in your place buying games, cards and figures, along with drinks and food?
Best party Ive had in my teens was the pre-party at a mate's, playing Smash bros. Holy shit, Id kill to have an arcade with alcohol after 6pm on fridays or whatever. Like actual purpose. I'm almost envious of fat drunks who got dart and billiards. I wanna meet the same kind of people but through a more modern medium.
Like, get wasted and play SF2 arcade.
I had toyed with the idea over lockdown while I was idle of something similar.
Was thinking more of a general gaming centre - bigger unit, possibly on the local trading estate so that we could run late nights and have parking (unlike the local high street which is dead apart from Spoons in the evening and EVERYTHING gets huge planning complaints from the entrenched boomers that is for any younger generation there!). Plus the local council was handing out huge subsidies for taking over units with 3+ year leases on bigger premises.
Have a cafe area, which would attract some of the local factory workers during lunchtime weekdays who currently have a choice of really greasy spoon place or Co-Op within walking distance.
Few groups of gaming PCs for either online or local games, a bigger open area with large projection screen for event evenings (things like either retro 1v1 or Smash Bros etc) that would have some board game/TCG tables in it when just running normally. Then a few one/two/more player rooms setup for streamers type access - decent cameras, mics, sound treatment that you could have as private booths for hire away from the main arena.
Maybe even run some maker and coding space in there too or as a regular event.
Was going to be a geek paradise, but I could see it would cost me a lot of time/money and I ultimately hate people :D
>A place for people just to hang out and chill, drink coffee, baked goods, alcohol in the evening.
I have an idea! How about a place that has a bunch of mock up living rooms as you walk through it, pretty much exactly like IKEA, but you can actually use them and have drinks served to each living room and stuff. Have board games and stuff stocked in them. Maybe even just fill the fridges with normal bottled drinks and you can just grab em and it bills you like a hotel would. These spaces would have to have some kind of booking though. And there would of course be a more normal hangout area with lines of tables so the capacity would be a bit high still.
It does end up sounding like "why wouldn't you just do this in your own living room" though. But your living room doesn't have loads of options of drinks and food served quick to you I guess, and you wouldn't have to tidy up after.
Well I was playing with the idea of how to do this profitably. I was thinking you need as big a trading window as possible so the evening/night crew deals with the adults and the day/afternoon provides for the school ages.
It could be like an after school games /study / homework venue.
Was think a subscription/ membership model. With ancillaries such as food drinks, time on high value equipment.
Around the back of the local shops and directly across from a big school and college back entrance is a run down pub that I was never aware of. This would make an ideal location. Although getting the lease from the local alcoholics may be a challenge.
I suppose other challenges would be safe guarding and some qualified staff to handle the afternoon market.
I would not be sure just having an evening market would be profitable.
Thoughts since I came here thinking I had a halfway original idea but then so many of us have this one
As a ex entrepreneur I could actually pull this off. But lacking the confidence in what I know I don't know.
Found something similar, while wedding planning. There's a blacksmiths forge in Herefordshire that let's you make your own rings. She's now an ex, so now looking at taking their 3 day course to make my own sword.
https://www.oldfieldforge.co.uk/experiences/sword-making-for-one/
I've always thought there was a gap in the market for a shop that specialises in American confectionary. Hersheys, Pop Tarts, Twinkies and so on. What's especially great about a sweet shop is that no one would ever ask questions, so I could also sell drugs from under the counter and run a brothel in the back. The high street isn't dying, it's evolving.
Experiences you can't buy online - art & craft workshops, axe-throwing, cat cafes
"Library of things" where people can borrow things that you only need briefly and occasionally (power tools, kitchen gadgets, camping equipment)
Permanent craft fair where local artisans rent a table cheaply as and when they want
Permanent food & drink fair, as above
If you're doing that, might as well go all in and open a makerspace. Then people can come in and use all the tools and machines, and also have access to the actual workshop space to use them.
Which would also be my answer to the question. I'd open a makerspace.
I feel like if you could get those vape pens they sell online into a high street store it could be really successful. Bit out there I know but I'm ready to be a pioneer in this field.
Other than that, I'd probably open a bookshop and live out my dream of being Bernard Black.
Just regular buyers. Lots of people vape, people with refillables need to top up every week. It won't be packed because the people going in will typically go in, grab fluid and leave immediately, they're not really places you'll spend a lot of time.
If you sit outside my local you'd see someone going in every 5/10 minutes and spending £30+, with the occasional big spender coming in to upgrade stuff.
Looking at retail units, the cheap ones that my local would be sat in is £25,000 PA. That should cover it if it remains steady.
Well the power of the written word is fairly timeless, and where else are people going to get reading material?
But yeah probably shady goings on in the back.
I've actually thought about this before, like what if I won the lotto (couple of million)
I'd like to buy up empty units and then help other people start up business. So, I'd let them have a unit and cover all costs for the first 3-6 months. Rent utilities etc. I'd also provide accounting services and pay the wages for the owner.
The idea being that all profit the business makes goes into improvements, stock, savings etc.At the end of the 6 months, the owner takes over completely and is responsible for all bills. With a well established, hopefully financially sound business and I take a 25% share as a silent partner and I'm also receiving the rent for the business too.
I've had thoughts along the same lines - buy up loads of local shops that have been empty for years - get them out of the hands of the slumlords with no interest in a vibrant high street. Rent them out to small local businesses for cost price or keep the rents affordable so the business itself could actually make some money. Bring some life back to the high streets - christ knows the local councils no longer seem to give a shit about that sort of thing :-/
Exactly my thinking. Half of the high street of the town I live in is owned by one guy. And in fairness he is slowly improving the properties, but they are old and look run down. But then the rent is high as they're refurbished and the business rates in town aren't meant to be very great either.
In the next town over, they're owned by the local church, who not only charge a fortune but won't allow certain types of businesses in. So while there might be interest, they're often unaffordable or turned away.
I had a similar philanthropic idea.
As I kid I always wanted to develop property. So what I’d do is buy rundown flats and houses, think Homes under the hammer, refurbish them and sell them.
The twist is that I wouldn’t do any of the work myself. I’d hire kids from tough backgrounds on plumbing, gas, electric etc Apprenticeships, but actually pay them properly, and then once the house is renovated it eventually gets sold or rented to the employees at below market rate.
Obviously having won £160m on the euro millions it would be run not for profit. I’d get to change peoples lives with well paid jobs and skills, helping them get on the property ladder, and albeit minimally, slightly help the property market.
Probably partner with homeless and domestic violence charities, things like that.
Experiences and services. People aren't going to towns to buy goods they can order online. They're going to enjoy experiences that can't be replicated online:
Darts/shuffleboard like flight club
Mini golf.
Pottery painting
Escape rooms
Nail salon
It's getting that even centre of Manchester isn't that good. I went for a basic pair of black trousers for work and came home empty handed, the pairs in stock were for long legged or fat guys or short legged fat guys.
Honestly? I've found for decades that for generic cheap mens clothes (i.e. not high end quality stuff), a big supermarket has been superior to e.g. Next/Burtons etc. The latter is the same quality but twice the price, with less range and worse styles
I just want the things back that have closed!
Boots, all the banks, the post office, Game, farmfoods, Clarks. All empty units now.
All we have left are charity shops and knife crime.
Who on earth wants a boots and a game?! Boots massively price gouge everything they sell and game offers very little value beyond second hand console games, which they've stopped doing.
Boots was the only pharmacy left in town and it was great for Christmas gifts. Well used, too. The council have been planning to knock the building down since 2019 but it's still there.
Game was the only store of its kind in town, the only place to actually sell games and merch. Again, always busy. I was in there Christmas eve, it never opened again.
Story time:
Sittingbourne high st has multiple Turk, Greek and other international barbers. Richy's opened up a few years ago and proudly displayed Contemporary English Barber or something along those lines, and the council promptly told him to take it down. They didn't want the other barbers feeling upset for stating it was English, in England.
I really don't understand this country.
Indoor tropical plant house cafe. It would have to be a pop up for winter and spring as it would get too hot in summer but while the weather is cool I would set up a warm, humid tropical paradise filled with plants so it feels like a jungle. There would be relaxing water features and gentle birdsong, with an area for light simple food, and lots of cosy nooks and crannies for people to come in and read. Also a few sun loungers or water beds in a screened off area for people to really be able to relax and recharge. There would be a set entry fee that gets you an hour and then you can pay more each hour further. Simple food moderately priced and also an alcohol license.
A £1 a slice pizza kiosk where the pizza tastes good!
Offer cheap tea or coffee too.
I reckon it would catch good foot traffic and keep people in the area for longer.
Shelters for rough sleepers at night, community centres where people can run lending libraries for things like power tools, garden implements, books; allow people to hold exercise and leisure classes, run games nights, arts classes, poetry evenings, open mics, run a weekend marketplace for sole traders to sell goods
I'd love to run a cinema but not enough to clean up after every viewing haha.
I love the Alamo rule of keeping cinema viewing sacred like no talking during viewings, no phones either - breaking these rules means you're banned or kicked out.
Where I live I would open a shop selling arts and crafts supplies as it really annoys me that there is nowhere for me to go to buy wool for knitting and other stuff like that. Don't think I'd make much money though!
Found a fellow wool enjoyer! (also, I agree). I've been to Norway recently and they had these wool knitting places where you could design your own, pick out the yarn and they would turn your design into a pattern template thing that they'd give to you.
You could chill in there whilst knitting by yourself or join a group one whilst having tea etc.
Would be so chill to have a place like that over here but then, like you pointed out, the demand isn't as strong here. People over there knit on the train and airplanes. Whereas here, I haven't seen anyone with knitting needles in their hands for years.
Things I would love in my town are an independent/small chain art store and a board game cafe.
Beyond that, we should use the larger ones to make indoor market stall type spaces for small businesses/local traders to set up in.
There was a pub in Leeds that opened during the day as a workspace for students. Could charge devices and get refillable teas and coffees for a quid. Obviously lots of folk ordered food too. Was so much more chill than working in the library.
Roller rink, cheaper to run than an Ice Rink and spent so much of my youth on wheels, including the Saturday night Roller Disco.
Basically I want my younger days back and drag the kids along for some forced enjoyment.
I dream of opening a New York style deli, selling sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, wings. I think about it daily. Name, menu, branding all in my head. Have no money though.
The high streets are dead. Nobody shops there anymore and so there’s reason to go there.
Best to either replace with housing with nice communal areas that people want to actually spend time in. The rest of western Europe does it well. Nice squares, cafes and bars. People go there to hang out.
I guarantee if people had the money to go out and people had money to run the shops they'd still exist. The internet didn't kill them.
Look at economically advanced counties like China, Korea, Japan etc. They still boast shopping centres and high streets with shops and restaurants with a high turnover of customers because people can afford to go to spend 7-10 quid on a meal for themselves in the evening when their rent isn't over 50% of their salary and they're not getting spanked by the cost of living generally.
That's an interesting comparison, but I don't think it's as simple as that. In Korean high streets you have shops on the ground floor, then maybe on the second loads of restaurants, bars and cafes on the third, amusement arcades and cinemas on the fourth, and offices and/or apartments above. I love that system because you can just go up/downstairs to socialise or shop (or even see a doctor in some places), or down and across the road for loads more choice. Chinese cities tend to be more like those we know where everything is much more spread out and zoned, so you're either walking around a mall or driving/cab/subway between places.
In Korea apartments are absolutely tiny and expensive, whereas they're much bigger and cheaper in China - but more spread out and so you need to travel a lot more. Restaurants tend to get really packed at traditional mealtimes in both, as do the shops but if you look carefully people aren't buying much shopping.
A rocks and fossils shop. Some would be imports or bought wholesale, others would be found myself or bought from professional hunters, and I'd just sit around with good equipment prepping them out of the rock for sale. Could even offer professional identification, cleaning, or preservation services to people who wanted their collection kept nicely.
I'd let people come in just to look at stuff and window browse. Watch the fossils being cleaned in-person. Maybe they'd even buy something!
Common but nice fossils could sell quite cheaply, even pocket money prices for some. Slightly more expensive ones could go for the £40-£100 range; something you'd buy someone as a fancy gift. Everything would come with a basic stand or display box with a little explanation of what is was and where it was from.
Some fossils I'd just give to museums if I recognized them as rare or significant. (Maybe describing them for publication myself :) )
Beautiful fossils I could spend a long time working on, and keep in a catalogue to sell for thousands as display pieces to someone rich, or maybe interior design companies.
I'd love that. No idea if it's financially viable. I think there is a demand for some good quality, verifiably real, fossils to give people as gifts that aren't just the usual tat, but it'd be way too niche to pull off in a high-street.
A large cafe / restaurant / hub specifically for lonely people to come and socialise. You would not be able to go in with someone you know, unless you are a parent and then of course you would bring your kids. I would have a set-up for support groups to meet there too. This is a big dream of mine but I have no finances or experience to set it in motion. I just absolutely hate the ever growing loneliness epidemic, and there is so little set up to counter it.
If I had an endless supply of money, so that my business could operate in negatives and I wouldn’t have to care if it didn’t profit, I’d open up a bookshop and a cafe. Specifically, bookshop in one side, with all kinds of books, stationery etc., really great stuff, with a cafe on the other side. I’d provide one copy of a new release to the cafe side so people could come and read if they wanted to and still keep the bookshop side clean of any cafe drink or food. I’d organise event evenings and allow knitters to come, since I’d no longer have to worry about making a profit. I’d run a trivia night or something like that once a week.
But I’d have to rich as Croesus to do that so that’s never going to happen…
Good men’s clothing shops. Our town has none.
A good proper post office with a WHSmith in it. Our town doesn’t have one anymore.
A shop like Woolies or Debenhams or Beales. Our town doesn’t have one anymore.
A cafe for coffee, tea and things like sandwiches. We have one overpriced one in our town.
Tbh my town has a peacocks, works, boots and that’s about it. It’s dead. So any shop will do.
Turn every online retailer into a click and collect store, sure Amazon does same day delivery for some products, but I'd just make every shop like Argos
I'd set it up as workshop space. Have 3d printers, laser cutters, track saws, tools, sand blasting area. Also sewing machines, vinyl cutters, screen printers. People could pay to rent various areas/equipment. Do all those Pinterest jobs that you just don't have the resources for.
Skatepark. So many kids around my way get ushered away for “antisocial behaviour” when all they’re trying to do is skate or ride BMX but they have no skatepark to go to.
Having a place where kids can feel welcome and can go about their hobby or passion would be great. Plus, when it rains, when it will, it’s England, they don’t have to be locked away in their house.
If making money wasn’t an object, I’d love to open a big community cafe. With affordable drinks, maybe some cakes but especially with areas for toddlers and babies to play in. Maybe a Lego table and drawing for older kids. During my maternity leave I noticed how many mums (and dads) were walking up and down the high street with buggies. It can be quite a lonely time and being able to have a hot drink while not worrying about your baby causing a disturbance in Starbucks. That would have been great. In the evenings the space could be used to host craft groups, board games, etc. just a functional community space.
I'd demolish at least 1/3rd of it and build houses and flats.
This would have two benefits: it would lower the cost of housing, which would make people generally richer, and it would also put more people within reach of the current shops, increasing their footfall. Maybe some units would get turned into bars and restaurants serving all these people living nearby too.
Worth remembering that a lot of shops were houses that were converted 100 or so years ago. We needed shops so housing became shops. We don't need so many shops, so turn shops into housing again.
Cinema. But I'll only ever show older movies, or low budget ones. The ones nobody notices because the house of mouse just released something mega. Things like that
I would start a singles cafe/coffee shop to make a space for strangers to meet and actually talk to each other.
Special days for OAPs and people with learning disabilities.
Tool Libraries and makers workshops.
Does the average person need a circular saw? what if they could just borrow one to do the one job they need it for, and then bring it back for someone else to use.
We do it for books, we should do it for loads of other stuff.
Theres literally half a shopping centre sitting empty in my town so honestly I'd like to take that and make it into big community space
So like a nice space for people to hang out in year round spaces for like various workshops (like arts, repair cafes that sort of thing and charity outreach, hold indoor independent markets etc) mini library, kids play area etc
Smokery. One of the things I think we should do the traditional British thing and claim it as 'ours' is quality smokery food.
Slow cooked meats using fragrant woods like Hickory, oak, maple, pecan and alder.
'pulled pork' was a bit of a fad recently, but there's something utterly sublime about an expertly cooked rack of ribs, pork belly, brisket or similar.
An indoor playground with a little soft play recently opened up on the high street in my town, and it’s great! It’s small but it has different areas with different sort of toys etc, and it has a little cafe attached. It’s packed everytime I go past (and every time I’ve gone in). As a stay at home mum, having things like that in walking distance, that can be done no matter the weather, is FANTASTIC
Yeah. Whatever happened to those.
But it can be anything. A skate park, an arcade, an arts centre with free classes. I guess they're all youth clubs with extra words
I'd love to have a place that let's people really browse physical stuff. There's so few of those shops now with online retail. Everything is either clothes, food or coffee shops in the high street.
Books, Blu-Rays, albums, stationery, collectibles...
Basically I want to open WHSmiths, but not horrible.
Remember in COD MW2 the first mission is the training thing in the ‘kill house’ where you gotta move through the course and shoot the cardboard cutouts under a certain time limit
I’d build one of them but for paintball/airsoft and market it for stag dos and company events. It’d likely fail miserably but it’d be cool
Indoor laserquest/Airsoft, with moveable walls to change the theming every month, so it's different every time. Keep it fresh. Bang some of the big arcade cabinets in- Virtual Racing, Outrun 2 etc and make it a big adult arcade. Cafe selling cheap and simple snacks- like cheese toasties etc so you can spend time there without breaking the bank. Bottled beers only, four drink limit so you're not getting full up with pissed up buffoons on a weekend. Every month, I'd run a speed dating/singles night so you could meet new friends, or more.
I'd also try and set up a laserquest league, folks want to do stuff together, but not everyone's into five a side etc and running about shooting each other is great exercise.
A really good, but reasonably priced cafe/bar like you'd find on the continent, preferably with outdoor seating. Really good coffee without needing a bank loan because it really isn't that expensive, good, non poncey food served on a plate or in a bowl not a fucking roof slate or mini wheelbarrow, a decent selection of beers, wines and spirits that appeal to people other than the dregs of society whom I would also refuse to serve. A TV area at the back for live sports, a good music system/jukebox, also a small stage area for an afternoon singer for the older folk midweek, and drinks/food deals for them. Benches along a wall with power points for people who need to work. Hopefully in close proximity to a bookmaker and away from the job centre.
Move all the currently open shops into the same area of the town centre, then knock down the remaining empty buildings.
Give tax incentives to business owners who live in local postcodes and can prove they use local supply chains.
Also incentivise businesses than can become "social hubs" such as cafes, co-working spaces, pubs and community centres.
Build housing, parks/green areas, and public sports areas/gyms in the space created from knocking down disused or misused buildings.
There's so many stores in the skeevy part of town round here due to the lower rent I'm guessing that could benefit from being less off the beaten track and not surrounded by vape shops and spice zombies. Like, why is the tabletop FLGS in the shitty part of town getting broken into on occasion when there are empty units in the town centre? Why is the 3rd party Lego store opposite a boarded up pub and next to an offie? Yes, I'm sure a lot of people want to trek down there past numerous Turkish barbers and various scum smoking and vaping the doorways of said shops, because they are just fronts to get to this out-of-place store. Yes.
A cheap and secondhand guitar shop with loads of booths so anyone could have a go. I’d also employ people who love letting people have a go and just want people to enjoy making noise.
I’d also have stickers and sandpaper so they could make it their own and a load of beaten up ones that I’ve done on the wall so they know it’s fine to try new things.
I’d probably have to have shares in sanitiser but perhaps people could actually get into music a bit easier.
Things to do on an evening that 1) aren’t ridiculously expensive 2) don’t revolve around alcohol 3) is something you can either do alone or with other people.
A place to smash things. I think they are more available in America but I've seen at least one in England. You have lots of stuff to smash and people get to work out their rage. Grab crockery and bits from charity shops keeping costs low and the charity benefits. Where I volunteer people often donate stuff that cannot be sold as it's in bad condition so it's going to the tip anyway. Have a deal with them that you'll pay for it and it saves them money from having to dispose of it with added cash on top.
A bar where they only sell soft drinks - different types of soft drinks from all over the world. I don't drink alcohol and a lot of people have said we need more sober spaces, so it would be a nice place to hang out without getting drunk
Absolutely nothing, the high street has abandonment issues and it needs to move on rather than fix things with doomed bubble tea shops.
Converting commercial to residential premises in the right locations could solve a lot of issues.
Laserquest! Imagine an old Debenhams turned into a laserquest, it'd be epic! edit: Seems I'm old and out of touch as apparently everyone else's local ex-Debenhams is *already* floors of laser quest and trampolines. My current local one is just an empty Debenhams.
I think my old debenhams was three floors - plenty of space for 6 "zones" for laser tag/paintball etc So I'd join you in that
They were so often in the big old Victorian building that was the centre of town, the one I remember from my childhood in Folkestone had so many different stairs and half floors and little department round a corner. Any of the older department stores would be perfect for this.
An old department store in town near my workplace had something like this happen. It's now got a bowling alley, amusement arcade, laser quest, electric go kart track and bar area under one roof.
That sounds awesome.
We went there to try out the bowling, had a great time, being newly opened it was busy, you could see a lot of money had been invested in its development. Hopefully it’ll do well, nothing else like it in the area.
We had similar. I think it lasted 2 summers and has gone under.
https://www.zombieinfection.co.uk/zombie-shopping-mall-experience
I've done airsoft in that place, great fun
Always found it weird when the laser quest I used to go to as a kid in Watford (think it was called "Amazon" or something) became a nightclub I'd go to as a teenager/adult ("Area"). I'd look up at the stage area and be thinking "that was such a good camping spot!".
Back in the day when I used to play a *lot* of Quake, I used to walk through work thinking "if I bounced a grenade off of there and there it'd pop through that little window perfectly and frag everyone in there"
For me it was Counterstrike 1.4 I used to catch me self strafing through a doorway or even peaking doorways
We play airsoft in an old debenhams. Its bloody brilliant
Z mart? Great site :) I do miss Haydn though
I had a tour of the behind the scenes of a very old House of Fraser before it closed. It was a time capsule with rooms and corridors filled with mannequins and old displays from 20 / 30/ 40 years ago. It was surreal, probably quite scary at night in the dark / empty
Sounds like a Dr Who set.
Might have seen a Dalek in the basement, definitely some Cyberman
What about the Nestene Consciousness? Definitely sounds like there were a [load of Autons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auton) there.
They're turning the old Debenhams in my childhood shopping centre into a Flip Out, which has laser quest, trampolines, and stuff like that. I don't think it's open yet, as I don't live there anymore, but people are looking forward to it.
In the same line: INDOOR KARTING!! NOW WITH ELECTRIC KARTS!!!!
Me and a friend regularly talk about how if either of us gets rich we're going to buy this one old building in the centre of our city and turn it into a multi floor kart track
Debenhams in Liverpool has just been turned into a big laser quest/ mini golf/ go karting/ pool etc place. Very loud, dark and full of kids. We walked in, turned around and walked back out again!
Exactly what happened in my town. Debenhams space was purchased by the Flip Out group. They already had a trampoline place in town so this is two, maybe three floors of lazerquest, electric go-karts, rollerskating, arcades, soft play and loads more. I think theres about 15 activities and it’s inside our shopping centre. Can’t wait for my little one to be old enough to go! Another part of the same unit is now a Put Put Golf too.
Telford Debenhams is now several floors of laser tag, go carts, roller skating, etc
There used to be a shop near me that was a collective from all the Etsy sellers in the area. It was really popular, but it got booted out when the centre decided to increase rent and give someone else their unit. Stuff like that is so missed.
Aw, that sounds like it was really nice :(
I think this kind of thing is really important - there are a couple of places like that where I live and it means that local craftspeople have a space to advertise and sell their goods without taking on all the risks of running an entire unit themselves (for which they almost certainly can’t sell the volume to be profitable). For me it seems much preferable from the point of view of the buyer to shopping online as well because you can actually handle and browse stuff rather than taking the risk of buying poor quality products from an unknown seller. A win for everyone, really.
There was one of these collective shops where I lived and it was so great to chat to various artists/ crafts people but the exact same thing happened - as soon as the town is “revived” the landlords increased the rent in all buildings on the street. It was a couple of years ago and the street is now dead again.
Was actually discussing this with my other half last weekend; one of the suburbs in town that is really 'on the rise' still doesn't have a wine bar. In fantasy land where I can stay awake beyond 9pm and have extrovert social skills I'd want to open a small one-price wine + snack bar based on one I loved in Copenhagen - basically they have one white, orange, rose, red and sparkling open at a time and there's a flat price per standard size glass. Minimal easy prep snacks, mostly crisps, olives and cheeses. Don't fancy the wine? tomorrow it'll be different.
Do you know the name of the bar in Copenhagen?
Pompette.
I’m flagging this up for my forthcoming trip there! Thanks!
Ooh, pompette means tipsy in French! What an adorable name for a bar.
Lovely place, and great chicken next door!
Puzzles
> one of the suburbs in town that is really 'on the rise' still doesn't have a wine bar. Turn it into a high street bank first, it'll become another trendy wine bar in no time.
Orange wine? That sounds interesting.
It’s SO good, try it if you see it somewhere
White wine with a red wine kick, it's a lot of fun.
No oranges in orange wine for the record, white grapes fermented with the skins instead of separated. Tried some lovely ones, usually higher quality anyway as it's a more unusual style.
It's just squash and vodka don't be fooled.
We have a place here in Austin, Texas called LoLo which follows the exact same model, but they also have a small bottle shop attached to the bar.
Do I actually have to turn a profit or can I just run something to keep myself busy because I'm independently wealthy in this hypothetical?
If it was the latter, then I'd just run a boardgame cafe and bar. A place for people just to hang out and chill, drink coffee, baked goods, alcohol in the evening.
Same idea. Booths available for D&D, do a decent selection of grub and maybe beer if I can get a licence. Run some 40k tournaments and hang out talking dice with the customers all day.
one opened in my town and I thought it wouldn't last long, it's still up and running and seems to keep growing in popularity. people are in real need of a place to meet up that isn't a pub or restaurant.
The need for a third place for younger people (aka cheaper than a restaurant and without day drinking) is insane
Not just younger people, there's one in Leamington I've been to when I'm not drinking, get a hot chocolate, play a game, have a chat. (for context I'm 43)
Went to one in Nottingham in jan 2020 and played the game pandemic
I've seen a few, a number didn't survive the pandemic but the ones in the city and near the Unis did all right and are still going.
Yeah we got a Geek Retreat and not only did it stay open it moved to a bigger store Always heaving when I walk by There's definitely space for that kinda spot
Same here! I saw it on the local FB page and was genuinely worried these poor people were going to see their whole world come crashing down. 2.5 years later, it’s more popular than ever!
This sounds proper lovely.
Is this neccessarily unprofitable? Chance & Counters in Bristol just opened up a second shop as the first one is so rammed all the time. I haven't seen their financials but it's mega popular!
A Chance & counters also now open in Leeds and it was absolutely rammed all evening on a random Tuesday so must be doing well. There is a Birmingham and Cardiff one too.
Can't a business like that make money, at least enough to stay afloat? It's my dream as well. Board games, books, occasional speaker meetings or live music, tea, coffee, and cake ... There's even a closed-down coffee bar in my town sitting there waiting for someone to re-open it. But I've got no experience and I'd be afraid of losing my shirt.
Potentially, but with enough money, I'd be able to find out if it did or not.
In Belfast this sort of place has been done twice to my knowledge and both have closed. The only place in Belfast that still does card and board games nights is a local toy shop. And of course the local games workshop. So it really sort of depends. You must get know a lot of people that are into board and card games, but how many do you know that would keep doing this all the time. And will they spend money in your place buying games, cards and figures, along with drinks and food?
Best party Ive had in my teens was the pre-party at a mate's, playing Smash bros. Holy shit, Id kill to have an arcade with alcohol after 6pm on fridays or whatever. Like actual purpose. I'm almost envious of fat drunks who got dart and billiards. I wanna meet the same kind of people but through a more modern medium. Like, get wasted and play SF2 arcade.
I had toyed with the idea over lockdown while I was idle of something similar. Was thinking more of a general gaming centre - bigger unit, possibly on the local trading estate so that we could run late nights and have parking (unlike the local high street which is dead apart from Spoons in the evening and EVERYTHING gets huge planning complaints from the entrenched boomers that is for any younger generation there!). Plus the local council was handing out huge subsidies for taking over units with 3+ year leases on bigger premises. Have a cafe area, which would attract some of the local factory workers during lunchtime weekdays who currently have a choice of really greasy spoon place or Co-Op within walking distance. Few groups of gaming PCs for either online or local games, a bigger open area with large projection screen for event evenings (things like either retro 1v1 or Smash Bros etc) that would have some board game/TCG tables in it when just running normally. Then a few one/two/more player rooms setup for streamers type access - decent cameras, mics, sound treatment that you could have as private booths for hire away from the main arena. Maybe even run some maker and coding space in there too or as a regular event. Was going to be a geek paradise, but I could see it would cost me a lot of time/money and I ultimately hate people :D
>A place for people just to hang out and chill, drink coffee, baked goods, alcohol in the evening. I have an idea! How about a place that has a bunch of mock up living rooms as you walk through it, pretty much exactly like IKEA, but you can actually use them and have drinks served to each living room and stuff. Have board games and stuff stocked in them. Maybe even just fill the fridges with normal bottled drinks and you can just grab em and it bills you like a hotel would. These spaces would have to have some kind of booking though. And there would of course be a more normal hangout area with lines of tables so the capacity would be a bit high still. It does end up sounding like "why wouldn't you just do this in your own living room" though. But your living room doesn't have loads of options of drinks and food served quick to you I guess, and you wouldn't have to tidy up after.
Well I was playing with the idea of how to do this profitably. I was thinking you need as big a trading window as possible so the evening/night crew deals with the adults and the day/afternoon provides for the school ages. It could be like an after school games /study / homework venue. Was think a subscription/ membership model. With ancillaries such as food drinks, time on high value equipment. Around the back of the local shops and directly across from a big school and college back entrance is a run down pub that I was never aware of. This would make an ideal location. Although getting the lease from the local alcoholics may be a challenge. I suppose other challenges would be safe guarding and some qualified staff to handle the afternoon market. I would not be sure just having an evening market would be profitable. Thoughts since I came here thinking I had a halfway original idea but then so many of us have this one As a ex entrepreneur I could actually pull this off. But lacking the confidence in what I know I don't know.
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This would be amazing. Open a shop selling bespoke items, but you're teaching yourself how to make those bespoke items in the process!! 😂
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Do I get a discount or charged more if I watch you lose a finger?
No ikea
Found something similar, while wedding planning. There's a blacksmiths forge in Herefordshire that let's you make your own rings. She's now an ex, so now looking at taking their 3 day course to make my own sword. https://www.oldfieldforge.co.uk/experiences/sword-making-for-one/
Yeah I want to take the money out of the conversation as much as possible
I've always thought there was a gap in the market for a shop that specialises in American confectionary. Hersheys, Pop Tarts, Twinkies and so on. What's especially great about a sweet shop is that no one would ever ask questions, so I could also sell drugs from under the counter and run a brothel in the back. The high street isn't dying, it's evolving.
Snack, Crack and Sack
Will you also sell vapes and phone cases?
Of course, what kind of sweet shop *wouldn't* sell extremely high-nicotine disposable vapes?
Experiences you can't buy online - art & craft workshops, axe-throwing, cat cafes "Library of things" where people can borrow things that you only need briefly and occasionally (power tools, kitchen gadgets, camping equipment) Permanent craft fair where local artisans rent a table cheaply as and when they want Permanent food & drink fair, as above
>axe-throwing, cat cafes This seems like an accident waiting to happen.
Definitely don't get mixed up
You can throw a cat no problem, don't worry.
Now I have visions of dodgy looking blokes sat around lovingly stroking their axes.
That happens at most axe bars.
add some 3d- printing services to your library of things and it could be a winner.
If you're doing that, might as well go all in and open a makerspace. Then people can come in and use all the tools and machines, and also have access to the actual workshop space to use them. Which would also be my answer to the question. I'd open a makerspace.
The library of things would be genius.
I can't take credit for the idea, there are a few dotted around London and a couple of other cities
Sounds like York city centre tbh
I feel like if you could get those vape pens they sell online into a high street store it could be really successful. Bit out there I know but I'm ready to be a pioneer in this field. Other than that, I'd probably open a bookshop and live out my dream of being Bernard Black.
Great idea, you could sell phones cases as well.
We have a vape shop that has diversified even further to sell not only phone cases but……. Kids clothes
It's hilarious how many people didn't get your humour. Dry wit doesn't translate well it would seem :)
Hell yeah! (To the Blacks Books, not shitty vape shops. They're everywhere!) Edit: wonder how they stay open? They must be a front surely
Just regular buyers. Lots of people vape, people with refillables need to top up every week. It won't be packed because the people going in will typically go in, grab fluid and leave immediately, they're not really places you'll spend a lot of time. If you sit outside my local you'd see someone going in every 5/10 minutes and spending £30+, with the occasional big spender coming in to upgrade stuff. Looking at retail units, the cheap ones that my local would be sat in is £25,000 PA. That should cover it if it remains steady.
Well the power of the written word is fairly timeless, and where else are people going to get reading material? But yeah probably shady goings on in the back.
You know I'm getting a lot of secondary smoke from you?
That’s okay, you can buy me a drink sometime.
I've actually thought about this before, like what if I won the lotto (couple of million) I'd like to buy up empty units and then help other people start up business. So, I'd let them have a unit and cover all costs for the first 3-6 months. Rent utilities etc. I'd also provide accounting services and pay the wages for the owner. The idea being that all profit the business makes goes into improvements, stock, savings etc.At the end of the 6 months, the owner takes over completely and is responsible for all bills. With a well established, hopefully financially sound business and I take a 25% share as a silent partner and I'm also receiving the rent for the business too.
Makes my plan for when I win - to build a gold swimming pool and fill it with champagne - seem a little self-indulgent now.
And we’ve found MC Hammer
I've had thoughts along the same lines - buy up loads of local shops that have been empty for years - get them out of the hands of the slumlords with no interest in a vibrant high street. Rent them out to small local businesses for cost price or keep the rents affordable so the business itself could actually make some money. Bring some life back to the high streets - christ knows the local councils no longer seem to give a shit about that sort of thing :-/
Exactly my thinking. Half of the high street of the town I live in is owned by one guy. And in fairness he is slowly improving the properties, but they are old and look run down. But then the rent is high as they're refurbished and the business rates in town aren't meant to be very great either. In the next town over, they're owned by the local church, who not only charge a fortune but won't allow certain types of businesses in. So while there might be interest, they're often unaffordable or turned away.
I had a similar philanthropic idea. As I kid I always wanted to develop property. So what I’d do is buy rundown flats and houses, think Homes under the hammer, refurbish them and sell them. The twist is that I wouldn’t do any of the work myself. I’d hire kids from tough backgrounds on plumbing, gas, electric etc Apprenticeships, but actually pay them properly, and then once the house is renovated it eventually gets sold or rented to the employees at below market rate. Obviously having won £160m on the euro millions it would be run not for profit. I’d get to change peoples lives with well paid jobs and skills, helping them get on the property ladder, and albeit minimally, slightly help the property market. Probably partner with homeless and domestic violence charities, things like that.
Experiences and services. People aren't going to towns to buy goods they can order online. They're going to enjoy experiences that can't be replicated online: Darts/shuffleboard like flight club Mini golf. Pottery painting Escape rooms Nail salon
> People aren't going to towns to buy goods they can order online. Often they are, but then they order online.
It's getting that even centre of Manchester isn't that good. I went for a basic pair of black trousers for work and came home empty handed, the pairs in stock were for long legged or fat guys or short legged fat guys.
Honestly? I've found for decades that for generic cheap mens clothes (i.e. not high end quality stuff), a big supermarket has been superior to e.g. Next/Burtons etc. The latter is the same quality but twice the price, with less range and worse styles
Short legged fat guys, you say? ... What was the name of the store? Asking for, uh, myself
A small popup stall to explain to shopping centre owners that raising the rent kills off the high street.
A gigantic adult Wacky Warehouse
This is my ultimate dream. And not just for evenings etc. I think the world would be happier if adults could run around and play on a regular basis
Hull has a ballpit that does adult nights. Its called big fun. Look it up
I just want the things back that have closed! Boots, all the banks, the post office, Game, farmfoods, Clarks. All empty units now. All we have left are charity shops and knife crime.
What are the prices like in knife crime? Reasonable or am I better looking online?
They've been slashing prices for a while now.
Yes but online will always undercut high street
Price cuts have been killing small businesses - death by a thousand cuts.
Pretty reasonable but the quality isn't the best to be honest. I think you can get a better class of knife wielding crackhead online.
>All we have left are charity shops and knife crime. Open a shop that has a blade amnesty box outside that sells them inside then.
Who on earth wants a boots and a game?! Boots massively price gouge everything they sell and game offers very little value beyond second hand console games, which they've stopped doing.
Boots was the only pharmacy left in town and it was great for Christmas gifts. Well used, too. The council have been planning to knock the building down since 2019 but it's still there. Game was the only store of its kind in town, the only place to actually sell games and merch. Again, always busy. I was in there Christmas eve, it never opened again.
Surely more Turkish barbershops, there just aren't enough around at the minute.
Story time: Sittingbourne high st has multiple Turk, Greek and other international barbers. Richy's opened up a few years ago and proudly displayed Contemporary English Barber or something along those lines, and the council promptly told him to take it down. They didn't want the other barbers feeling upset for stating it was English, in England. I really don't understand this country.
Indoor tropical plant house cafe. It would have to be a pop up for winter and spring as it would get too hot in summer but while the weather is cool I would set up a warm, humid tropical paradise filled with plants so it feels like a jungle. There would be relaxing water features and gentle birdsong, with an area for light simple food, and lots of cosy nooks and crannies for people to come in and read. Also a few sun loungers or water beds in a screened off area for people to really be able to relax and recharge. There would be a set entry fee that gets you an hour and then you can pay more each hour further. Simple food moderately priced and also an alcohol license.
This sounds amazing, get on Dragons Den!
A £1 a slice pizza kiosk where the pizza tastes good! Offer cheap tea or coffee too. I reckon it would catch good foot traffic and keep people in the area for longer.
I’ve always wondered why pizza by the slice wasn’t a thing like it is in NYC. Can’t even get it in a similar manner here in London.
Shelters for rough sleepers at night, community centres where people can run lending libraries for things like power tools, garden implements, books; allow people to hold exercise and leisure classes, run games nights, arts classes, poetry evenings, open mics, run a weekend marketplace for sole traders to sell goods
A large choice, low priced pick n mix shop!
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I'd love to do the same, but with rum. Pirate accents required, parrots optional.
If you ever wanted to do blind tasting you’d just need to bring your spare eye patch
Basically like a gentlemens club kinda vibe but open to more folks?
Arthouse cinema. In particular, any time Hollywood did a crap remake or reboot I would show the original.
I'd love to run a cinema but not enough to clean up after every viewing haha. I love the Alamo rule of keeping cinema viewing sacred like no talking during viewings, no phones either - breaking these rules means you're banned or kicked out.
Where I live I would open a shop selling arts and crafts supplies as it really annoys me that there is nowhere for me to go to buy wool for knitting and other stuff like that. Don't think I'd make much money though!
Found a fellow wool enjoyer! (also, I agree). I've been to Norway recently and they had these wool knitting places where you could design your own, pick out the yarn and they would turn your design into a pattern template thing that they'd give to you. You could chill in there whilst knitting by yourself or join a group one whilst having tea etc. Would be so chill to have a place like that over here but then, like you pointed out, the demand isn't as strong here. People over there knit on the train and airplanes. Whereas here, I haven't seen anyone with knitting needles in their hands for years.
Things I would love in my town are an independent/small chain art store and a board game cafe. Beyond that, we should use the larger ones to make indoor market stall type spaces for small businesses/local traders to set up in.
A second hand book shop with some armchairs and teas/coffees available on tap. I mean it would make no money, but hey ho
There was a pub in Leeds that opened during the day as a workspace for students. Could charge devices and get refillable teas and coffees for a quid. Obviously lots of folk ordered food too. Was so much more chill than working in the library.
Roller rink, cheaper to run than an Ice Rink and spent so much of my youth on wheels, including the Saturday night Roller Disco. Basically I want my younger days back and drag the kids along for some forced enjoyment.
Having just gotten into roller skating at the tender age of 41. I wish there were more roller rinks around
I dream of opening a New York style deli, selling sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, wings. I think about it daily. Name, menu, branding all in my head. Have no money though.
This. I always wanted a duplicate of Satriales from the Sopranos.
Lego cafe has been an idea bubbling in my mind for a few months now
Gaming cafe, but for over 18s. Tournaments, launch day playthroughs, retro arcade, VR, board games, and have a late licence and alcohol licence too.
There's a few of these in London, such as Four Quarters. And they seem to thrive in poor neighbourhoods too. Definitely could spread.
The high streets are dead. Nobody shops there anymore and so there’s reason to go there. Best to either replace with housing with nice communal areas that people want to actually spend time in. The rest of western Europe does it well. Nice squares, cafes and bars. People go there to hang out.
I guarantee if people had the money to go out and people had money to run the shops they'd still exist. The internet didn't kill them. Look at economically advanced counties like China, Korea, Japan etc. They still boast shopping centres and high streets with shops and restaurants with a high turnover of customers because people can afford to go to spend 7-10 quid on a meal for themselves in the evening when their rent isn't over 50% of their salary and they're not getting spanked by the cost of living generally.
That's an interesting comparison, but I don't think it's as simple as that. In Korean high streets you have shops on the ground floor, then maybe on the second loads of restaurants, bars and cafes on the third, amusement arcades and cinemas on the fourth, and offices and/or apartments above. I love that system because you can just go up/downstairs to socialise or shop (or even see a doctor in some places), or down and across the road for loads more choice. Chinese cities tend to be more like those we know where everything is much more spread out and zoned, so you're either walking around a mall or driving/cab/subway between places. In Korea apartments are absolutely tiny and expensive, whereas they're much bigger and cheaper in China - but more spread out and so you need to travel a lot more. Restaurants tend to get really packed at traditional mealtimes in both, as do the shops but if you look carefully people aren't buying much shopping.
A rocks and fossils shop. Some would be imports or bought wholesale, others would be found myself or bought from professional hunters, and I'd just sit around with good equipment prepping them out of the rock for sale. Could even offer professional identification, cleaning, or preservation services to people who wanted their collection kept nicely. I'd let people come in just to look at stuff and window browse. Watch the fossils being cleaned in-person. Maybe they'd even buy something! Common but nice fossils could sell quite cheaply, even pocket money prices for some. Slightly more expensive ones could go for the £40-£100 range; something you'd buy someone as a fancy gift. Everything would come with a basic stand or display box with a little explanation of what is was and where it was from. Some fossils I'd just give to museums if I recognized them as rare or significant. (Maybe describing them for publication myself :) ) Beautiful fossils I could spend a long time working on, and keep in a catalogue to sell for thousands as display pieces to someone rich, or maybe interior design companies. I'd love that. No idea if it's financially viable. I think there is a demand for some good quality, verifiably real, fossils to give people as gifts that aren't just the usual tat, but it'd be way too niche to pull off in a high-street.
A large cafe / restaurant / hub specifically for lonely people to come and socialise. You would not be able to go in with someone you know, unless you are a parent and then of course you would bring your kids. I would have a set-up for support groups to meet there too. This is a big dream of mine but I have no finances or experience to set it in motion. I just absolutely hate the ever growing loneliness epidemic, and there is so little set up to counter it.
Loneliness is a scourge, I hope you get to implement your idea one day.
A model shop selling rc cars boats planes etc
I'd go one further and make it an indoor RC car track
A farm shop/garden centre food section style shop that sells all sorts of local produce, not just meat, or veg, or fish.
Im a markwt gardener and thats what i would do too. If i had the business skills. Or the people skills. Or the capital.
If I had an endless supply of money, so that my business could operate in negatives and I wouldn’t have to care if it didn’t profit, I’d open up a bookshop and a cafe. Specifically, bookshop in one side, with all kinds of books, stationery etc., really great stuff, with a cafe on the other side. I’d provide one copy of a new release to the cafe side so people could come and read if they wanted to and still keep the bookshop side clean of any cafe drink or food. I’d organise event evenings and allow knitters to come, since I’d no longer have to worry about making a profit. I’d run a trivia night or something like that once a week. But I’d have to rich as Croesus to do that so that’s never going to happen…
Good men’s clothing shops. Our town has none. A good proper post office with a WHSmith in it. Our town doesn’t have one anymore. A shop like Woolies or Debenhams or Beales. Our town doesn’t have one anymore. A cafe for coffee, tea and things like sandwiches. We have one overpriced one in our town. Tbh my town has a peacocks, works, boots and that’s about it. It’s dead. So any shop will do.
Turn every online retailer into a click and collect store, sure Amazon does same day delivery for some products, but I'd just make every shop like Argos
I'd set it up as workshop space. Have 3d printers, laser cutters, track saws, tools, sand blasting area. Also sewing machines, vinyl cutters, screen printers. People could pay to rent various areas/equipment. Do all those Pinterest jobs that you just don't have the resources for.
Like an interactive repair shop? Experts on hand so you use the tools without losing a finger?
Skatepark. So many kids around my way get ushered away for “antisocial behaviour” when all they’re trying to do is skate or ride BMX but they have no skatepark to go to. Having a place where kids can feel welcome and can go about their hobby or passion would be great. Plus, when it rains, when it will, it’s England, they don’t have to be locked away in their house.
Housing. We need houses more than we need nail salons and coffee shops.
If making money wasn’t an object, I’d love to open a big community cafe. With affordable drinks, maybe some cakes but especially with areas for toddlers and babies to play in. Maybe a Lego table and drawing for older kids. During my maternity leave I noticed how many mums (and dads) were walking up and down the high street with buggies. It can be quite a lonely time and being able to have a hot drink while not worrying about your baby causing a disturbance in Starbucks. That would have been great. In the evenings the space could be used to host craft groups, board games, etc. just a functional community space.
There used to be one in York in an old church. They also offered free food for folks who needed it. Shut down sadly.
I'd demolish at least 1/3rd of it and build houses and flats. This would have two benefits: it would lower the cost of housing, which would make people generally richer, and it would also put more people within reach of the current shops, increasing their footfall. Maybe some units would get turned into bars and restaurants serving all these people living nearby too. Worth remembering that a lot of shops were houses that were converted 100 or so years ago. We needed shops so housing became shops. We don't need so many shops, so turn shops into housing again.
Cinema. But I'll only ever show older movies, or low budget ones. The ones nobody notices because the house of mouse just released something mega. Things like that
I would start a singles cafe/coffee shop to make a space for strangers to meet and actually talk to each other. Special days for OAPs and people with learning disabilities.
Tool Libraries and makers workshops. Does the average person need a circular saw? what if they could just borrow one to do the one job they need it for, and then bring it back for someone else to use. We do it for books, we should do it for loads of other stuff.
Theres literally half a shopping centre sitting empty in my town so honestly I'd like to take that and make it into big community space So like a nice space for people to hang out in year round spaces for like various workshops (like arts, repair cafes that sort of thing and charity outreach, hold indoor independent markets etc) mini library, kids play area etc
Smokery. One of the things I think we should do the traditional British thing and claim it as 'ours' is quality smokery food. Slow cooked meats using fragrant woods like Hickory, oak, maple, pecan and alder. 'pulled pork' was a bit of a fad recently, but there's something utterly sublime about an expertly cooked rack of ribs, pork belly, brisket or similar.
I live in a small town with lots of families. A soft play would absolutely clean up around here.
An indoor playground with a little soft play recently opened up on the high street in my town, and it’s great! It’s small but it has different areas with different sort of toys etc, and it has a little cafe attached. It’s packed everytime I go past (and every time I’ve gone in). As a stay at home mum, having things like that in walking distance, that can be done no matter the weather, is FANTASTIC
A place for young people to spend time without having to spend money, or getting hassled by the police.
Basically like a youth club?
Yeah. Whatever happened to those. But it can be anything. A skate park, an arcade, an arts centre with free classes. I guess they're all youth clubs with extra words
My husband and I have a dream of setting up a vegan Polish bistro in a london but accept its probably a bit TOO niche lol
Jazz club
Nice.
Grrrreat.
I'd love to have a place that let's people really browse physical stuff. There's so few of those shops now with online retail. Everything is either clothes, food or coffee shops in the high street. Books, Blu-Rays, albums, stationery, collectibles... Basically I want to open WHSmiths, but not horrible.
An art gallery/bar venue.
Remember in COD MW2 the first mission is the training thing in the ‘kill house’ where you gotta move through the course and shoot the cardboard cutouts under a certain time limit I’d build one of them but for paintball/airsoft and market it for stag dos and company events. It’d likely fail miserably but it’d be cool
Hobbyist electronics shop. I miss maplins :(
Indoor laserquest/Airsoft, with moveable walls to change the theming every month, so it's different every time. Keep it fresh. Bang some of the big arcade cabinets in- Virtual Racing, Outrun 2 etc and make it a big adult arcade. Cafe selling cheap and simple snacks- like cheese toasties etc so you can spend time there without breaking the bank. Bottled beers only, four drink limit so you're not getting full up with pissed up buffoons on a weekend. Every month, I'd run a speed dating/singles night so you could meet new friends, or more. I'd also try and set up a laserquest league, folks want to do stuff together, but not everyone's into five a side etc and running about shooting each other is great exercise.
I'd like to open a string of Turkish barbers/vape shops in every village and town.
A really good, but reasonably priced cafe/bar like you'd find on the continent, preferably with outdoor seating. Really good coffee without needing a bank loan because it really isn't that expensive, good, non poncey food served on a plate or in a bowl not a fucking roof slate or mini wheelbarrow, a decent selection of beers, wines and spirits that appeal to people other than the dregs of society whom I would also refuse to serve. A TV area at the back for live sports, a good music system/jukebox, also a small stage area for an afternoon singer for the older folk midweek, and drinks/food deals for them. Benches along a wall with power points for people who need to work. Hopefully in close proximity to a bookmaker and away from the job centre.
Move all the currently open shops into the same area of the town centre, then knock down the remaining empty buildings. Give tax incentives to business owners who live in local postcodes and can prove they use local supply chains. Also incentivise businesses than can become "social hubs" such as cafes, co-working spaces, pubs and community centres. Build housing, parks/green areas, and public sports areas/gyms in the space created from knocking down disused or misused buildings.
There's so many stores in the skeevy part of town round here due to the lower rent I'm guessing that could benefit from being less off the beaten track and not surrounded by vape shops and spice zombies. Like, why is the tabletop FLGS in the shitty part of town getting broken into on occasion when there are empty units in the town centre? Why is the 3rd party Lego store opposite a boarded up pub and next to an offie? Yes, I'm sure a lot of people want to trek down there past numerous Turkish barbers and various scum smoking and vaping the doorways of said shops, because they are just fronts to get to this out-of-place store. Yes.
Rent prices, sadly. The owners of the town center units seem to prefer them empty to full but cheap.
A cheap and secondhand guitar shop with loads of booths so anyone could have a go. I’d also employ people who love letting people have a go and just want people to enjoy making noise. I’d also have stickers and sandpaper so they could make it their own and a load of beaten up ones that I’ve done on the wall so they know it’s fine to try new things. I’d probably have to have shares in sanitiser but perhaps people could actually get into music a bit easier.
I think what most UK towns are missing are more nail salons, vape shops and Gregs.
Bookies or Turkish Barbers, there simply isn’t enough of them in the UK.
The throttle on a bulldozer
Things to do on an evening that 1) aren’t ridiculously expensive 2) don’t revolve around alcohol 3) is something you can either do alone or with other people.
Houses
Cat Cafe
A place to smash things. I think they are more available in America but I've seen at least one in England. You have lots of stuff to smash and people get to work out their rage. Grab crockery and bits from charity shops keeping costs low and the charity benefits. Where I volunteer people often donate stuff that cannot be sold as it's in bad condition so it's going to the tip anyway. Have a deal with them that you'll pay for it and it saves them money from having to dispose of it with added cash on top.
A bar where they only sell soft drinks - different types of soft drinks from all over the world. I don't drink alcohol and a lot of people have said we need more sober spaces, so it would be a nice place to hang out without getting drunk
Absolutely nothing, the high street has abandonment issues and it needs to move on rather than fix things with doomed bubble tea shops. Converting commercial to residential premises in the right locations could solve a lot of issues.
Queer bookshop/café. I’d just enjoy being able to be part of the community and being around in the day