The once bustling Cavern Walks was home to the city's luxury boutiques and ECHO readers have shared their favourite memories of the shopping arcade.
Cavern Walks burst onto Liverpool's shopping scene in the mid-1980s, a luxury addition to a city that was facing economic difficulties. In close proximity to Mathew Street and the main shopping thoroughfares of Lord Street and Church Street, the destination was destined for success.
By the early noughties its shops were frequented by WAGs Colleen Rooney and Alex Gerrard, and the space hosted fashion shows headed by a then unknown Abbey Clancy. It was home to favourites such as Cricket, Kids Cavern and Vivienne Westwood, and much-loved café Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
READ MORE: Faces of men, woman and children missing on Merseyside
While its stunning atrium remains, many of Cavern Walks' high-end boutiques have since packed up and moved on, with Kids Cavern and Cricket both moving to the Met Quarter.
Sharing memories of Cavern Walks, Lyndsey Boulton said: "My mum used to take me there when I was a kid by my birthday to get a new outfit. Absolutely loved going in the glass elevator to the fudge shop upstairs."
Emmaline Clarkson would "rush into town" every Saturday morning, going to Joy or Drome for her night out in Cream, while Catharine Penrith said Cavern Walks used to be "a brilliant shopping area with great sales".
Laura Jones said Kids Cavern was 'her favourite' remembering her Bon Bleu tracksuit and Chippie trainers, a staple of any 90s fashionista. Kimberley O'Shea added: "Drome pants and Benetton jumpers, all thinking we were the bee's knees but then you had no money left for anything else."
Vivienne Westwood's boutique in Cavern Walks closed in 2020. It was a big loss to James Lee Williams, better known by the stage name The Vivienne: "Vivienne Westwood closing was a very sad day for me.
"It’s what made me first visit Liverpool when I was 14 years old. I got a train to buy my coveted 'Pirate boots' from my favourite designer."
Owen Taylor dubbed the closure 'a crime to the city': "So gutted they didn’t reopen another store somewhere else."
It wasn't just clothes on sale in Cavern Walks. Steven Anthony said: "Gamemagik in the early 90s used to sell all of the imported Mega Drive games before they were out in this country. Used to be queues out of the door on Saturday afternoons."
Rita Lycett has happy memories of her job in Cavern Walks: "I worked there in the 80's on a cart on wheels selling old pictures of Liverpool, there was a girl next to me selling biscuits. I loved it there."
Some readers also had run ins with local celebrities. Diane Gallagher remembers 'following Sinbad from Brookside around', she said: "I was star struck and was late back to work from my lunch."
However, Keith Paul Mills had a more Hollywood encounter: "I remember helping Catherine Zeta-Jones with her coat in the café on the bottom floor. I wanted the table she was leaving, with her then escort Paul Brown from the TV series 'Watching'. I recognised him but the staff in the café were very excited."
While Cavern Walks may not be in its heyday anymore, Mary Roberts gave a reminder that there's life in the old dog yet: "The Beatles café is still serving great food."
Liz Dee added: "I was here last week, it is sad to see it like this, but I had the cheapest and really nice breakfast in that café."
It last changed hands in 2018 and was touted as the next big Signature Living hotel scheme, but earlier this year, a buyer was sought for Cavern Walks. So who knows what the future might hold?
What would you like to see at Cavern Walks in the future? Let us know in the comments below
READ NEXT:
Revamped country pile lists for £1.2m
Prison officer punched inmate so hard he broke his hand
The Liverpool homes you won't believe cost less than £150,000
'Lovely' grandad dies after thugs torch house while he slept
'Beautiful' woman, 21, found dead in Adelphi Hotel room named
