The Gridlock That Is Plymouth

What is happening on the Barbican at the moment is like something out of Yes Minister! Well to be truthful it would be a little too far fetched for comedy, although having said that it might work as black comedy.

So last Sunday I am in a van attempting to deliver stock to Harbour Sports on Barbican Parade. I say attempting because the road to the west is blocked by a huge hole dug to accommodate the new gas pipeline. The road to the east is blocked by another whopping great hole and the only way to reach The Parade is a jig trough the backstreets, squeezing past parked cars and worried looking pedestrians avoiding ruthless wing mirrors.

Phone calls about this roadblock to the pipe layers asking how long this is going take receive the usual response from battered call centre staff, which not only leaves Harbour Sports physically isolated but also psychologically scarred by stress.

Business has almost stopped with little hope of anything meaningful being achieved until the gas pipe laying crew eventually drift aimlessly off to a new location. Two weeks they said it would take and that is now long past with little sign of anything meaningful happening. The signs near the big hole say Barbican Business As Usual. Ha. No it’s not.

All this whilst still suffering the gymnastic road works on Gadynia Way which cause daily misery! One day traffic will run freely again to and from town perhaps or simply gridlock.

They say that the new gas pipe will last for eighty years, which is likely to be seventy years longer than the gas supply!

Meanwhile we continue to spend hundreds of thousands encouraging people to visit Plymouth – which for many will be their first and last trip after spending pointless hours in queuing static traffic.

Tapestry.

Frank

Springing.....

It’s a strange old world these days and every time you turn around nothing seems quite the same. We’ve been at this game for over thirty years, teaching sailing, teaching windsurfing, yacht charter, retailing, mail order stuff and all sorts of stuff in between. In that time we’ve seen folk come and we’ve seem them go, yet nothing quite compares with the topsy-turvy world today. The Grim Reaper seems to have cut deeply into the High Street, leaving retailers bleeding on the pavement and too many shops boarded up. A whole new sad meaning to the phrase board sport! Well, we are still here and toughing it out. The thing is that we have the most fantastic staff and as we often demonstrate our people don’t just walk the walk and talk the talk, they really do live the life! We still believe that when you call and see us you take away more than something purchased, you also share in our life. At least we rather hope that is how you feel. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve had some great stuff arrive. The new ANIMAL summer clothing is a dream as is the Quiksilver and Old Guys. Perhaps that is one of the special things about Harbour Sports, the fact that we are not ‘married’ to one brand and that things constantly change. The daylight hours are longer now and already people have started splashing about, skating the streets or simply just hanging loose. Why not come and join them! frank

LIVING THE LIFE

As you know we have three shops, all in wonderful places and staffed by lovely people. In these troubled time we try to make your visits to the shops as pleasurable as we can. The nice thing is that most of our customers are people with a story to tell and also generate energy as they move around. Why on earth should we walk around with a face like a slapped kipper? Yet people do and that simply isn’t fair is it?

So here is the message: come and see us and smile! Positive energy is what we all need to share, so let’s share! Don’t be beaten down by the harbingers of doom. Get up and go!!!!! Lots of new stuff arriving now and at the moment we are still offering 25% off all ladies clothing and 25% off all shoes! That should raise a smile.

The picture at the top of this blog is taken by Exeter staffer Pete Buxton and takes you to a very vibrant Harbour Sports Exeter. We’ve just sent a copy of this photograph to John Harvey, the Exeter City Centre Manager, in the hope that (a) it will show that there is life in Exeter’s Western Quarter, and (b) that he may want to use this lovely photograph for Exeter promotional stuff.

……………..and the other good news? The days are getting longer and the dawn chorus starts before six!

PARKING : FIRST HOUR FREE

A headline in a local South Devon paper caught my eye this week. Traders urged: ‘Vote yes to BID scheme.’ Apparently hundreds of ballot papers have been sent to businesses in Paignton asking them to vote YES for Paignton Business Improvement District matched funding.

BID schemes have been popping up all over the place in response to the deterioration of town centres and the increasing number of boarded up empty shops. The BID schemes require businesses to contribute toward the improvements which then attracts government funding.

Two thoughts come immediately to mind.

The first is the question whether in point of fact we are all, as they say, singing from the same hymn sheet since last summer we had one part of our local council making people welcome and another part making them unwelcome. The photograph at the top of this blog partly makes the point.

The second thought seems, to me, a blindingly obvious way of attracting people back into the town centres in the hope of generating community focused local shopping. MAKE THE FIRST HOUR OF PARKING FREE. All motorists would need to do is print a one hour ticket from the parking meter which would give them a little latitude when shopping, visiting the bank, nipping into the local church for a bit of quiet meditation and generally making contact with the local population.

You can do what you like to beautify the landscape but if the town isn’t car friendly people will automatically drift the out of town cathedrals of consumerism where ample parking is provided with a convenient shopping trolley to prop visitors up as they shuffle around the aisles dazed by the lights and mindless music.

Please spread the word! Support your local community and push for FIRST HOUR FREE PARKING in Devon town centres.

frank

Amelie Duvinage (20) is spending four weeks at Harbour Sports Paignton as a business intern. Amelie is studying commerce at the Lycee Carrell in Lyon, France and her placement has been arranged by the Training Partnership in Torquay. Here is what Amelie has to say..........................................

"J’ai commencé mon stage à Harbour Sports le 10 Janvier 2011, l’équipe fut tout de suite très sympa, l’ambiance y est chaleureuse. Comme en France il y a des similitudes, tous les matins c’est la meme chose. Néanmoins les clients sont plus sympa ici en Angleterre, moins renfermés sur eux, malgres le temps qui n’est pas très joyeux. Beaucoup de pluie mais on prend vite l’habitude. Mon chez moi me manque mais je suis contente d’être ici, c’est une super experience."

"I began my training course at Harbour Sports on January 10th 2011 and found a welcoming atmosphere and nice people who made me feel at home immediately. There are similarities with the start of the day in France however the customers seem much nicer here in England and much more communicative despite the difficult economic times. It has been raining much of the time but I soon got used to it. Although I miss home I am enjoying my time here and it really is a great experience."

Amelie x

It is a curious thing how good intentions slip past without us really noticing. That passing of time became apparent when I looked at the date of our last blog! Well we are still bobbing along on the stormy retail waters and living the life. But goodness me these are troubled times. It’s not just the economic mess that has buffeted us. We’ve had four bad summers, a confused retail market, increasing numbers of people living their lives in a virtual world and then the cold north wind before Christmas that brought the UK to its knees.

Well having said all that we are still working to provide the best possible kit at competitive prices and at the moment have 25% off ALL shoes and ladies clothing. Some of our newer lines have been so successful and include OLD GUYS RULE and the new TUCAGUA winter ranges (warm clothing from Nepal).
We had great fun with Facebook and really enjoy daily updates plus of course the occasion tweet on Twitter.
We will be floor painting at Harbour Sports Paignton this weekend which means that we will be closed this Sunday and next.
The days are already getting longer and it really is time that hibernation stopped……come on- LIVE THE LIFE!!!

Colder days and other places

New Zealand air.

Over the past few weeks we seem to have been unpacking box after box of ski clothing and accessories which means that all three of our shops are ready for action. Bolle helmets and goggles are already selling well as folk gather odds and ends together as ski Christmas presents. We've always, well almost always, kept clear of skis and boots but have loads of socks, gloves, creams, sunglasses, hats, caps, jackets etc. The photograph above is of one of our globe trotting team who is getting a little air in New Zealand.

The other thing that is worth mentioning is the new winter range of Tucagua clothing. This very warm rough looking clothing is made in Nepal and is so different from anything else around. Once you've worn one you will always been a Tucagua fan.

South Devon, like the rest of the country, has taken a battering today from the strong Atlantic winds and many ships are 'hiding' in Plymouth Sound and Torbay. The Channel is not a nice place to be and someone said that most of the ferries have remained in harbour rather than subjecting their passengers to a hammering from huge seas.

Oh well, that's enough. Off to light a fire and snuggle down for the evening.........