LEAF ST: RETAIL UNITS
PROGRAMMATIC LAYOUT OF THE STORES
Choosing the stores for the scheme:
The Vegan Cafe - A well established cafe which currently is located off Hulme Park. Bringing the cafe to this location would allow the store to have a larger space, benefit from the customers using the site and be able to sit around other traders than by itself.
Hulme Community Garden Centre - Creating a store on site with plants and other aspects of the centre creates a connection out into the community. This becomes a gateway for those who have come from outside of Hulme to experience the culture that lives within it. Having Hulme Community Garden Centre as part of the scheme also increases the sense of co-locality on site.
Venture Arts exhibition space and store - Although not a trader, having a space to stop a view things going on in Hulme would be a welcome break for the shoppers on site. Once again, allowing Venture Arts to have a footing here edifies the community more. As it is based in retail space, they also have the opportunity to gain economically through the selling of work.
Having stores within the retail units that provide training is a key element of this project. Those gaining training in teh centre can then move out to the retail units where they can be further trained in a skill if so desired. All stores will employ those from the training centre, yet there are specific stores layed out to cater for training in certain skills:
Nail Bar - Training in beauty
Hairdressers/ Barbers - On the job training to cut hair
Wood workshop - Skilled wood workers can train apprentices in carpentry and woodwork
Bike Shop - Fixing and building bikes
Novel Candle - Learning to make candles which can be sold in store
Cafe - Coffee and waiter training
There is also a need for stores on site to be left vacant for opportunity from those who are either participating in the training centre or who are from Hulme. These stores can be occupied however, and bring a flavour of Hulme to site. I have layed out possibilites of what these stores could become:
Culturally relevant and ethnic stores - The current Hulme high st is filled with cultural and ethnic stores that are specific to certain localities in Hulme. There obvious success in meeting the needs of the localities that they serve is evident in their use. Bringing these types of stores to site is important in maintaining the flavour of Hulme.
Cafe - Cafes bring people together. Creating spaces which can be occupied specifically for cafes is important in gaining a consistent vibrancy and element of life on site.
Grocery store - Having a locally run, locally sourced grocery store is key to the site. The historical context on which elements of this project is founded looks back at these types of stores run by local shopkeepers back in the day. Bringing this type of store back to life would enhance the unity of the scheme.
Newsagent - Simple, everyday need for a community.
Boutique - Personalities from around Hulme who want to develop there own business, spaces can create opportunities.