Bracknell UK may be just
another town, but I live here, and events have prompted some thought.
The long awaited town centre redevelopment is now becoming real, and
the many casualties include the 'Look In Community Cafe'.
This 'Cafe' was created
and run originally for older people by Bracknell Forest Borough
Council. It was very successful, but was closed in recent years as an
unacceptable budget item, however, it reopened after being taken over
by volunteers who had quickly organised.
It is, or rather, was,
very popular. With more than a third of UK population aged over 50
(ref. 1) it is no surprise that business from over 100 paying
customers per day was the norm. These were often with friends, so
'footfall' was greater, say 150.
The 'community' aspect of
the cafe was key. People - customers, and volunteer staff - came and
were motivated because of this. The minimal number of paid staff also
appreciated the community values here.
Comfortable and welcoming,
it was a place to look forward to. On occasions I found I could doze
off in a corner (and nobody called the police) I could not do that in
other cafe's ;-)
This community cafe closed
yesterday. Its plans to move locally fell through. It is still
looking, hoping, for a new location. It is unlikely to be in the town
centre, nor near to the new shopping development (ref. 2).
I am one of the
enthusiasts helping to find a new location. I take it that one will
be found, somewhere, somehow. So I will be able to sup tea with
friends, (or quietly doze off).
But what about the town,
the shops, the new shopping centre being built, hoping for a good
return on investment? There apparently will be no charity shops, no
community cafes. Only undiluted retail units with 'realistic' rents.
Charity shops and
community cafes may be at one extreme end of the retail spectrum, but
they remind of and symbolise community, heart, compassion, a place
that might care.
High street shops are in
decline (ref. 3).
Yet even in Bracknell
town, run down with many years of creeping closures, the Community
Cafe had a thriving 150 users per day - in the town centre. Even when
all shops around them were long closed, people STILL arrived!
Community trumps retail?
Until yesterday, when the
Cafe finally closed. We will move out of town, keep calm, and carry
on. But we will not be those 150 additional people per day that the
shopping centre in future, would covet, we will be elsewhere!
Someone is missing a
trick. A shopping centre which starts its life after two bus loads of
potential customers, every day, are sent elsewhere? It may be
unseemly to say so, but - WTF?
I recently had to buy
kitchen equipment for home. Some pans were purchased in the town
centre (marked down to half price, good luck with profit for that).
The purchase was AFTER spending time in the Community Cafe which was
my primary reason to be in town anyway. I also bought a high value,
premium priced item, the same day, on line. I am an avid computer
user, and I prefer to buy online.
The discussion and comment
in the Media about the demise of this community cafe has focussed on
the traditional view - in so many words - of a place where some
wrinklies can selfishly do crosswords in peace and quiet. The
discussion completely misses the value of a crowd of people attending
for their own purpose, yet in the very location required for retail
activity! Think of on line social networking, say, like Facebook for
example?
If you have arranged to
meet a friend at a certain place or cafe then you have briefly
sampled your own 'community' event. Now think of 150 people every day
in that location, all available, perhaps with younger family too,
available - to shop?
Cart before the horse?
Those people make their way there, to their community, NOT for
retail. However, when surrounded by retail, shopping will be done.
The internet shouts out
that the people attractor, the social aspect, the community, is what
is so valuable. On line, the numbers are huge, but still even now,
some high profile on line businesses are not yet sure how to exploit
the numbers. But what big numbers! What would high street shops give,
to be faced with large numbers of customers? How to get big numbers?
Translate some areas of
the high street into the bricks and mortar equivalent of Facebook or
Twitter or whatever social networking you use. Like - what about
attracting a Community Cafe? Ah.
The Cafe closure attracted
the press. The reporter noticed that our conversation in the Cafe was
continually interrupted by people coming and going, greeting by name
etc.
"It is more than a
'cafe' isn't it?"
I posit that such places,
in the high street, in a shopping centre or similar, act as an
essential seed for attendance at the location.
Historically it may have
been less important, but now with such competition, good alternative
choices, and less time to go and browse high street shops, the
analogue of social networking on line, is the community activity in,
say, a community cafe. And I do not mean a big chain franchise with
its own agenda, although it may surely have its place.
On line facilities using
the internet show how very strong the social aspect can be, almost
every on line business tries to add a social networking dimension
now.
The high street, so far
though, leaves it to chance - with Joe's Cafe, or with Multi Global
'What's your name today?' type of coffee place. It works after a
fashion but nothing like a successful happy landslide where, like for
the Look In Community Cafe, people have struggled to be there against
all odds, without ANY advertising at all!
As far as I can see, the
high street is yet lacking appropriate enlightened self interest from
redevelopment organisations, which continue to navigate their world
using traditional retail philosophy.
To the shops I say
"So
Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!"
(ref. 4).
1) Demography-uk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demography_of_the_United_Kingdom
2)
Look In Cafe to close
http://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/roundup/articles/2013/05/23/89704-look-in-cafe-to-close/
3)
High streets shrink in 10 out of 12 towns on Mary Portas scheme
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/29/high-streets-shrink-mary-portas
4) Hitch Hikers Guide to
the Galaxy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Long,_and_Thanks_for_All_the_Fish
