Mary Brooks Ladies Fashionwear at 9 Market Place in Abingdon has closed. There was always a very stylish display in the window.
White Horse Exotics are coming soon to Stert Street.
And Elizabeth sent me a picture from the Monday Market a week ago showing that Fresh Grimsby Fish were on Sale. There was no Market this week because of the Bank Holiday.
Grimsby? Can’t be very fresh if it’s first been 2 weeks at sea in a trawler, landed, packed and brought to Abingdon from Grimbsy 🙂
Joking aside though, nice to see fish on sale 🙂
Do we really want an “Exotics” shop in Abingdon on Thames?
I am intrigued. What do they mean by ‘exotics’……..is this some kind of Pet Shop? I have searched for a website for White Horse Exotics but found no references.
Snakes,Lizards,Turtles etc I imagine.
White Horse Exotics have a page on Facebook but all it says is it is a pet shop…. they do have a website http://www.whitehorseexotics.co.uk/ but much like the shop it is “under construction”
Margaret….what shops DO you want in Abingdon?
What has happened to Qutis? They say on their website that it is a temporary closure, but it is exceedingly difficult to get any more information. I suspect they have gone bust 🙁
Like many people I would love to see all of the empty shops filled,but not with the so called “exotics” we need decent shops for all ages to enjoy
I suppose in the coming months Stert Street will be closed as one of the ” exotics” will have escaped !!!!!
Yes Margaret…me too…but I’m putting you on the spot! What decent shops!? Selling what?
Witney Shopping Area is beautiful…..I see no reason why Abingdon on Thames cannot be the same,we have such a lovely town with nice people we deserve to have a good Shopping Area
Couldn’t agree more Margaret. And, to make matters worse, there are people responsible for the state if things ad they are. There are also people who could help make the town what it deserves to be….but not asked.
Still….it is what it is, and dozens more flats will surely help.
…am still very eager to hear what kind of shops you want though….Whitney has a pet shop…
I see know reason why we do not have an M and S or one of the large Multipals but no sign of these people wanting to come…..possibly the Rents are too high…it is sad the large building in the centre of Bury street remains empty after two years since completion
M&S have no interest in coming here. The demmographic is all wrong. Plus, the proximity to other M&Ss likely now precludes it too. However….you should most definitely contact their Procurement department and speak to them and perhaps get them to come here and have a look around…try and sell it to them? You can do the same for any other of the big shops you fancy too!
Bear in mind though, M&S are now going to Didcot.
I know a few ‘mere members of the public’ who, fed up with seeming inactivity by those actually responsible, have contacted various ‘large names’ procurement departments…the feedback is interesting, but depressing.
Still…mustn’t grumble.
I breed Bee shrimp, so an exotic pet store is right up my street….so to speak.
Good luck to the exotics shop – i know my children are looking forward to its arrival
If people want these Shops ……let it be….I am only giving my personal opinion
…other than an M&S opening in the shop where the exotics is going….I’m still unclear what it is you want. But I think we’re on the same side….I’m just curious what it is you want…
Just as a matter of interest Daniel, apart from Exotics, what kind of shops would you like to see in Abingdon?
…I go to Didcot.
C’mon Daniel we can be curious too — what sort of shops would persuade you to shop in Abingdon rather than Didcot?
…;)
It isn’t really about the shops….what I “want” to see is Abingdon asked what it wants to be…and then, with that mandate driven by the community….the ones who actually use the town daily, see that mandate delivered or at least worked towards.
STILL we are, yet AGAIN, in the same place as we have been before…a number of excellent, well meaning, good organisations, all beavering around in commendable activity…but pulling the town in umpteen different directions. A step in the right direction is a wonderful thing…but not if a dozen steps are all being taken in a dozen different directions.
Are we a quaint Oxfordshire market town, with an individuality that is special enough in itself to be “the draw” we need – as well as the river etc.
Are we an other town, on the outskirts of the City of Oxford…trying to compete with the local shopping Mecca’s of Didcot, Oxford and Witney….with the true choice that they offer really more desirable in Milton Keynes, Reading, or London? In which case…a ‘token’ M&S, Debenhams, Next is fine but offers nothing that Oxford etc doesn’t already…
Are we a mixture of both?
What do we want to be? What should we be? Who is driving this? For who’s benefit?
This will be the third ‘tenureship’ of at least two of the councils responsible for all this, where I for one will watch how they fare…. Wantage has made progress. Henley has. Whitney thrives (but is different), as does Didcot. It CAN be done…. So why isn’t it?
I want “Ask Abingdon” to take hold and a vision for Abingdon to be found, and it to come to fruition. I expect a lot. But I’m not being unreasonable.
Rant over.
I like my tropical fish tank, and my Taiwan bee shrimps, and cycling, Danish design, vinyl music, whiskey and camping.
I would love one, some, or any of those shops….but, that is just me…and aren’t likely to be long lived in Abingdon…and i would absolutely not expect them to open for my benefit….especially if they are only open til 5, and closed Sunday. Of course….that’s another thing….if any of those shops have done their market research….they may find there’s a market for them here. GREAT! But if they haven’t done their research…then it isn’t our fault as shoppers that makes them fail….we don’t owe them our pound…it is their poor business acumen.
If I thought 50 people a day would by a £5 bee shrimp…I’d open a shop. But I don’t, so I’ll save my 40k start up fund for something else. An opticians perhaps?
I think that the best we can expect is the somewhat outmoded late 20th century retail experience of a central supermarket, smaller ‘high street’ outlets and a rather beige Abingdon, as bland as the next town. But if that’s what the experts think we want….then that’s what we’re gonna get…
…the flowers always look good here though.
I use all of the Shops and Restaurants in Abingdon on Thames…..I would not dream of going to Didcot….if you do not use it you loose it
After buying a couple of cod stakes earlier on this week I must say that it was the freshest fish that I have tasted, also it was a very reasonable price deffinatly going to pay young Bradley a weekly visit.
It really is fantastic that we can have fresh fish that has been picked up straight from the docks and brought here. Has anyone else tried anything yet?
…unfortunately I’m at work on Mondays, so couldn’t try any fish.
How lovely to see fresh Grimsby fish on the market and what a charming young man working extremely hard getting up in the middle of the night to bring fresh fish direct from Grimsby I hope he gets plenty of support ,good luck Bradley your fish was delicious…..thanks lucy
Great idea of having fresh fish at the market especially straight from Grimsby. Hope it works for him very impressive for a young man of his age to be able to run his own business and travel around the country like that.
We really need to get behind him and let the town no its just what the market needed at this time I believe.
And on the subject of the exotic shop I think it has the potential to succeed here.
Many Thanks
Paul B.