Saving Shop Street

danniemcq

Ok so here's what I have in mind, with all the rumours of starbucks and loads more major chain shops/cafes etc coming to Galway and shop street I was thinking about starting a petition to stop major corporations ruining the area of it's identity.

Now here's where I need help.

I have no idea what to do to start a petition like this do you need permits etc? Should we get the backing of a local politician involved? Would there be people willing to stand on the street and get names?

Or am I just wasting time?

Tar.Aldarion

I like the hot choc in starbucks.
/Zombie.

Hermione*

Starbucks in Galway?! That seems so wrong. What I love about Galway is that it has retained its identity so strongly. I go to Galway to get AWAY from all that nonsense in Dublin.

Tar.Aldarion

Indeed, seriously. I don't want those places here. Start the petition dannie!

Hermione*

Please make it an online one!

daveg

What's wrong with competition guy's? Marks and Spensors etc. HMV giving them fúckers in Zhivago's some competition. Remember what they used to charge for DVD's before HMV came along.

Tar.Aldarion

We don't really need any more though. The coffee places and shops etc are great here. Chain stores just take away from what Galway is. Don't want another Dublin tbh.
For music it was good. There needed to be stores as there is a lack of them. There isn't really a lack of much else?

daveg

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

We don't really need any more though. The coffee places and shops etc are great here. Chain stores just take away from what Galway is. Don't want another Dublin tbh.
For music it was good. There needed to be stores as there is a lack of them. There isn't really a lack of much else?

IMO there is a shortage of coffee shops in Galway but maybe not in shop street. Only place headford road side of the city is that place in the bookstore (Headford rd shopping centre). That place is a rip off. Competition is needed big time.

Also just because you don't feel competition is needed in other area's than music doesn't mean anyone else doesn't.

Apart from Starbucks who else is proposing to setup in Galway.

P.S. Not meaning to be argumentative and if thats how I'm coming accross apologies. It's just a big believer in competition, esp in rip off Ireland.

padi89

Too many tree huggers in Galway thats the problem.

IrishAirCorps

big time tree huggers everywhere

nobodythere

Those who have not hugged a tree do not understand!!!

I'd be willing to help. Don't think we should make it an online petition though. No respect. The problem is that rent around there is so expensive. There should be incentives for local businesses, reduced rent etc, which might be seen as favouritism but BFD. You'd have to justify it economically, you'd have to say that a more local feel to galway promotes tourism etc etc.....

There's not all that much in the power of the council with regards to these types of things I'd say, they're getting legal advice right now about whether or not they can stop a quarry in menlo. A quarry that has broken planning laws.

Not in the most competent state as I write this, apologies!

faigs

Hermione* wrote:

Starbucks in Galway?! That seems so wrong. What I love about Galway is that it has retained its identity so strongly. I go to Galway to get AWAY from all that nonsense in Dublin.

Seems so wrong? What about all the Subways that just arrived? Foot Locker, McDonalds, I could go on.

A starbucks on Shop Street would be better than that horrible dirty vacant building that the ould woman owned (is she still alive?) I'd much rather see a Starbucks there to clean it up, or any high street chain for that matter.

Lets face it, if Starbucks want to come to Galway, they will. No little local petition is going to scare them off.

Bring on the competition!

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Don't want another Dublin tbh.

Galway is a city, take it or leave it. It's popularity requires chains and superstores to facilitate the growing population and tourism, and also to generate revenue. If you want to live somewhere untouched, move to Doolin or somewhere. Or somewhere you can find more trees.

muppetkiller

Whats more of a problem is the amount of bloody phone shops ...!!! How many phones can the people of Galway own to be keeping these guys in Buisiness !!!

Hermione*

faigs wrote:

Seems so wrong? What about all the Subways that just arrived? Foot Locker, McDonalds, I could go on.

A starbucks on Shop Street would be better than that horrible dirty vacant building that the ould woman owned (is she still alive?) I'd much rather see a Starbucks there to clean it up, or any high street chain for that matter.

Lets face it, if Starbucks want to come to Galway, they will. No little local petition is going to scare them off.

Bring on the competition!

Galway is a city, take it or leave it. It's popularity requires chains and superstores to facilitate the growing population and tourism, and also to generate revenue. If you want to live somewhere untouched, move to Doolin or somewhere. Or somewhere you can find more trees.

One or other of my sisters has lived in Galway for the last ten years or more, so I've been staying in Galway since I was in primary school, and it's probably my favourite city in Ireland. I haven't been in Galway since Christmas, and that was a flying visit, so I didn't know Footlocker or Subway had opened. I just think Galway has too much charm as it is now. American chains like Starbucks would detract from it imo. One of the things Dad and I always comment on in Galway is how lovely it is to see shopfronts in Irish, particularly those who have the old Irish script and punctuation. It makes Galway special for me anyway. I'd hate to see it change. Even my sis who lived there first comments on the changes in Galway when she's there now, although that's rare enough.

faigs

Don't get me wrong, I love Galway, in fact I'm moving there next month. I agree with you about the shop fronts, Quay Street is the most picturesque street in the country, but I think Shop Street is too far gone to try and 'save' it. It's a high street, another chain store isn't going to make much of a difference.

Hermione*

The thing with Starbucks, is that once they open an outlet in a city/ town, pretty soon there's about a dozen of them. It's part of their marketing strategy. Shop Street still has Anthony Ryan's, McCambridge's, Lynch's ... they're all one-off businesses.
McCambridge's is great, I love their cholocate selection, nyum

Banphrionsa

A Gaillimh Starbucks! Yuk! I hang out at premium coffeehouses, but Starbucks? They are so plastic with a corporate atmosphere. Ban them from Galway!

IrishAirCorps

while your gonna clean up Taffes, oh yes Una is still alive! apparently she was quite the catch in her hayday!

Give the top half of corbett court a lick of paint it looks absolutely rank you know the top half more or less facing hanleys

I don't think shop street needs to be saved!Its grand as it is!People are friendly and its not like grafton street where you are knocking into everybody.

Vorak

Unfortunately, I think its probably going to happen in due course. Galway will be littered with crappy high-street junk stores sooner or later, but maybe there is the potential there to gain from it. If its planned out properly, Shop street could be 'protected' from stores like starbucks, with shopstreet's side streets being allowed to host places like starbucks. Or perhaps more realistically the reverse of that might be true, maybe shop street will eventually become a proper high street, growing in scale, but there maybe charters brought in to place to forever protect the small side streets that are such a delight at present.

I visited the 'Forum' building in Barcelona recently, there they have a massive scaled model of the entire city, about the size of a badminton court, with every building and civic space detailed really well. Its very impressive and would be very useful for planning policy and making decision making more informed. I think the council should commission a group of architecture/town planning students to build a model of galway city. I think it would be very helpful.

But back to the point...

I'm all for competition. I think developments like Earls court, that take highstreet stores off the highstreet and leave galways medieval fabric intact are to be incouraged.

But f*ck Starbucks tbh.

Amazotheamazing

I agree Shop Street (and Quay street) need preserving but I don't see how it can be done. The rents on those streets are way too high for the amount of business that goes through there, I suspect that we'll see alot of local businesses following Kenny's lead and relocating elsewhere in Galway. If i'm not mistaken there was a special low rate charged to shop street businesses for the past 15 years but this rate is due to rise substantially in the coming year or so.

Do you have to factor in another thing about Shop street and the rents of shop street premises? Galway's population, presumably including students, is in the 65,000 region, that means that some 20,000 people don't really have massive disposal income to finance the cost of these high rents, and the tourists, mostly backpackers, aren't known for their spending power either. I reckon when the rates and rents go up, it won't be financially viable for anyone but multinational businesses to be situated there.

danniemcq

umm anyone know how to word a petition like this?

JIZZLORD

"Fight the power!"?

padi89

is there any point? I think your wasting your time.No offense intended.

It might not be that bad to be honest. I mean Starbucks do do extremely nice coffees. But a petition wont do much I doubt, mainly because the revenue a place like Starbucks would generate would make it seem stupid to oppose. The best course of action is making sure that

1) There isn't more than 1 or 2 Starbucks around Galway
2) Making sure that the Starbucks don't stick out much i.e. they keep with the general theme of the area.

Java's has been there for ages, so has Bananaphoblacht, and many of the other coffee places around Galway. They have established a customer-base, and have a long running reputation. I highly doubt Starbucks would be able to beat this.. not for a long while anyways.

Owh, an online petition is a bad idea. I lost respect for those ever since people started doing stupid ones like, "petition against wearing clown shoes" or whatever.

Tar.Aldarion

JIZZLORD wrote:

"Fight the power!"?

Like you do?
Nice sig.

danniemcq

Deleted User wrote:

Java's has been there for ages, so has Bananaphoblacht,

Bananaphoblacht is no more

Tar.Aldarion

danniemcq wrote:

Bananaphoblacht is no more

Huh, what happened?

Tar.Aldarion

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Huh, what happened?

Yeah, it was there last time I passed and people were inside of it .. I think

danniemcq

sold plain and simple is what i heard, my housemate knows more so i'll be chattion to him later.

danniemcq

danniemcq wrote:

sold plain and simple is what i heard, my housemate knows more so i'll be chattion to him later.

I wonder if it'll still be kept as Bananaphoblacht, or even a cafe for that matter, but under new ownership.

As long as it wont be another fuppin' womens clothes shop I'll be happy!

shatners basoon

Think its being turned into some sort of Bakery as far as I know, its a pity as they gave nice big pots of tea for one person even if the bastards always burned your food anyway!
But Danneh what if Tweek's coffee move in to compete with starbucks, save local business' and all. Starbucks aren't too bad in terms of making nice coffee (provided there aren't any underpants gnomes around )
The only nice coffee shop in Galway is Anton's as far as im concerned, mmmm mozzarella and pesto sandwiches
Its a pity that java's has gone to shít

Robbo

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Huh, what happened?

Your man who ran it has sold up and gone back to Holland, the crazy Dutch yoohoo. The place had been on the slide for ages. The staff were completely disinterested and would only clear tables if he was around. And then there was letting the gentle folk in with their acoustic guitars and wooly jumpers *shudder*.

Javas has improved a hell of a lot since the Frenchies took over. The redecoration is very nice except for the bloody plasma screen on the wall. What is its purpose?

JIZZLORD

my housemate used to work in banannaphoblacht, it was sold to a company called o hehirs from sligo. And their places in sligo are fairly bland. they have bought nthe name of the place as well but they've changed the menu apparently

Tar.Aldarion

Isn't O hehirs more of a bakery place?

JIZZLORD

that's what you think!

Amazotheamazing

bananaphoblacht was sliding downhill for a while, nothing great can last for ever.

ripclaw

Regarding Starbucks - I admit I love the Chai tea they sell... Also, when I was in Chicago there was a great Starbucks/Barnes&Nobles joint venture thing I spent a lot of time in. You could take the books from the shelves and read whilst sitting there sipping on a tea or coffee and then put them back, no questions asked. And guess what, I never bought as many books in such a short time as I did then. Would be kinda cool if Eason or so would make such a deal but I highly doubt it.
It's a shame there arent more coffee houses etc. that offer some place to sit outside, but I suppose the Galway weather is largely to blame for that, seeing that summer is officially over now that we had two sunny days last week.