Taking a break from browsing the shops and sampling the local delicacies, people in Mapperley have provided a snapshot into life on a high street where in the good weather people are found 'sitting outside using their local'. Keimae Blake reports.
Mapperley Top, past Woodborough Road to Plains Road, is home to a wonderful mix of shops and residents say the high street is "continuing to grow". There's a good selection of pubs and restaurants, like Castle Rock brewery's Bread and Bitter, cafe bars Copper and The Old Flower Shop.
Mapperley is also home to many independent, local businesses and places to dine. The shopping options in the area have been praised by those that live there.
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Christine Brown, 49, has lived in Mapperley for 20 years. The civil servant spoke about what shopping in the area is like and said: “It’s great here, you have most things.
“One thing that I would like to see is a clothes shop like in Arnold, they have Peacocks. We do have a charity shop which has some nice bits at times but a branded clothes store would be good.”
Christine spoke about her favourite places to go in the area. She said: “I live to sit down in Costa and have a coffee or Just Delicious. They’re lovely in Just Delicious.
“Over the years, the area has got so much better and I’m glad to see this high street always so busy because it’s common knowledge that retail is dying out.
“I know that a lot of people are upset about the banks closing down but that’s everywhere, Mapperley’s no exception to that but I understand where they’re coming from.”
Gillian Green, 72, has lived in Mapperley for most of her life. Now retired, she spends a lot of time browsing the shops in Mapperley.
She said: “I always go to the butchers on the square and I like The Cake Solution, especially because you can sit outside on a nice day.”
Gillian would like to see a bank in the area. She said: “People use banks, they always have despite the new technology. I don't understand why banks are being closed.
“My local branch is in town but before, there was more than one bank in Mapperley. There was a Barclays, TSB and Lloyds.”
Harrison Wright, 32 is self employed. Harrison has lived in Mapperley for 8 years and added: “I go into the Wetherspoons a lot but I always do notice that, along this strip, many people will be sitting outside on a nice day using their local. It’s nice to see.”
Harrison decided to stay in Nottingham after he graduated from university. He continued: “I’ve been in the butchers a few times, there are some good guys in there and I go into the Sainsbury’s quite a bit too.”
Inside the Smiths Family Butchers, Louis Smith enjoys his work. He said: “I always do my best to stay cheerful, we get a lot of variety, young and old folk.”
Liam has been a butcher there for 12 years. Smith's Family Butchers is 35 years old. Liam continued: “You get your regulars and new faces, with the new faces you want them to come back if someone’s miserable, I just kill them with kindness.”
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