THE TRADERS PROUD TO CALL HUMBER STREET HOME
DAN KEMP DISCOVERS THE BUSINESSES HELPING MAKE THE HEART OF HULL’S NEW CULTURAL QUARTER A SUCCESS
It has undergone tremendous investment and upheaval over the past few years but now Humber Street is at the heart of Hull’s new cultural quarter. Nestled in the Fruit Market, where millions of pounds has been spent on new retail and leisure units, a small band of traders are now getting to work to make it a viable visitor destination for the national and international audience.
No doubt, UK City of Culture helped to lay the foundations but now a community of dedicated bar owners, restaurateurs and other assorted business people have put themselves front and centre to try to continue the progress.
While some are newcomers to the area, others have stuck with Humber Street through thick and thin – with some wracking up more than a decade of service.
The Mail has been to meet the traders that call the street home to see what they are offering the city and how they are finding their new surroundings.
1
Alice Thomson and Joseph Cox – Form Shop and Studio
“We sell affordable prints, quality greetings cards and really nice stationary.
“It’s really good. There’s more business appearing and there’s a good vibe down the street. We’ve been here over a year on the street. It’s been great so far.”
2
Steve Plater – Dinostar
“We’ve been here for 14 years last Easter. We’ve been waiting for the street to get redeveloped and in the past 18 months or so it’s happened.
“When we first moved in there were fruit traders in the street and then there was a wave of new people like Thieving Harry’s, Oresome and Fruit.
“Within the last couple of years, the street for the public realm was a big step forward.
“It took off significantly with the City of Culture last year obviously, because there were a lot of events down this way and that’s continued, apart from dropping off a bit, this year.”
3
Tom North – Humber Street Distillery Co
“We’re a gin distillery with an adjacent cocktail bar. We’ve been here about a year and a half and it’s going really well.
“Midweek at the moment is a bit slow but I think it’s the time of year. Weekends are crazy. On a weekend it is never quiet, which is great for us.”
4
Sarah Clayton – Mousey Brown’s Hair Salon
“We’re doing hairdressing and a bit of beauty. We try to stick to keeping it real. We’re not about chandeliers and fabulous glass floors. It’s just about doing the job and the skill of it.
“I’ve been here for about 18 months. I actually love it around here. What’s not to like?
“We’re already an established salon and we’re recruiting at the moment, so we’ve actually grown if anything.”
5
Adele Howitt – Studio Eleven
“It’s a studio and gallery with a programme of six exhibitions a year. We’ve got facilities and studio spaces for ceramics and small print-making techniques.
“We’ve been here for nine years. We stayed and soldiered on. We used to be at number 11, hence the name, but the surroundings are fabulous.”
6
Fiona George – Cocoa Chocolatier & Bakery
“We’re mostly famous for our brownies, which people come back for again and again.
“We’ve been here for two years in October. It’s great. It’s a nice place to work. I like being on the marina.
“When we moved down here there was a big hole in the pavement near the door.”
7
Laura Underwood – Wellington Pizza Pub
“Basically, we’re a pizza pub. We’re the only one down here. We’re fairly new to down here. We’ve been here about a year and rebranded a couple of months back.
“We get busy nights. Friday, Saturday and Sunday even. We’re just updating the menus at the minute and getting new cocktails on the menu.”
8
Robert Wood – Ambiente
“We’re a Spanish tapas restaurant and we employ 23 staff. The majority of them are from Hull, so we try to keep it local. All the produce that we use is Yorkshire based. We have quite good connections with local businesses.
“We’ve been here since November 2016 officially, after a soft opening in the October.
“It’s about sustaining it and building on it. You can’t just rest on your laurels. City of Culture was fantastic, but we’re maintaining it.”
9
James Stockdale – Humber
Fish Co
“It’s Hull’s first seafood and crustacean offer really. We offer fine seafood, oysters, lobsters, prawns, razor clams, turbot, halibut, monkfish, hake. Every fish known to man. We’re quite surprised no one else has done it with the heritage of the city.