About the Festival
Otley shops try to boost trade with dancers and bands
11:50am Thursday 9th July 2009
Wharfedale and Airedale
By Jim Jack
Belly dancers and live bands are being drafted in to help Otley town-centre shop owners to drum up more business.
Traders have decided to host a street music festival in reaction to the growing number of ‘to let’ and ‘closing down’ or ‘clearance sale’ signs that have been springing up.
The More clothing shop on Orchard Gate is one of the latest to announce a closing sale, while newsagent and stationers Mounseys, on Boroughgate, has closed its smaller shop to merge with the larger New Market store.
It now stands empty beside a former grocers that has had ‘to let’ signs up for some time, and just up the street another property, formerly part of Silk Sisters, is advertised to let.
It was Silk Sisters co-owner Cath Davies, working with Suzanne Freer, from Patsy’s Wicca Basket on New Market, who decided some positive action was needed to turn the tide.
The pair hope hosting a street music festival on Sunday, July 26, will give all the traders a shot in the arm – and encourage shoppers to come back.
Ms Davis said: "We are trying to get tourism back, because we are losing a lot of shops in this part of the town centre.
"We do have quite a few new cafes and things opening, which is good, but if we don’t also have enough of the interesting little shops that have always been in Otley people will stop coming.
"We have set up the festival to co-incide with the Farmers’ Market. We’re looking for local talent to take part and so far we have got a belly dancing group, some bands and Morris dancers performing.
"It will feature all kinds of music, including folk and modern, and we’d love to hear from anyone who wants to perform just to help the spirit of the place, really.
"Everyone who takes part will be fed and watered, the Black Bull pub has been fantastic saying they will help with that.
"The idea is for it to start straight after the market, at 1pm, and run through until around 9pm. Hopefully it will help attract a lot of visitors and boost trade.
"It’s a shopkeepers’ idea and it started last year in New Market. The shopkeepers there thought they were being missed out a bit, because they are tucked out of the way, and that everyone was coming to shop in the Market Square.
"But that’s not the case – plenty of people come through here but don’t seem to see the shops or know they’re here, in one of the oldest parts of Otley.
"So New Market and Market Street will be taking part this time, and we want to make it a much more high profile event."
Former president of Otley and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce Victoria Oldham, whose Cranbourne Accountancy business is based in New Market, welcomed the move.
She said: "The more we can do to promote Otley the better. People walk down this way to see what’s here, which is good, but it’s not helpful when you have empty places.
"If this festival can get more people here to show them what shops and businesses are open in the area then all credit to the organisers.
"It is disturbing to see shops closing but there needs to be more confidence to encourage more people to start their own business and to do so knowing they stand a reasonable chance of success.
"I’d like to think premises here would not be empty for too long. Commercial rents have come down a little so it’s not all doom and gloom, and landlords don’t want empty premises."
Otley Town Council is also supporting the event. Councillor Lawrence Ross, who chairs the environment and tourism committee, said: "We will certainly support any initiative to boost trade in Otley and this is an exciting initiative which will complement the monthly farmers’ market.
"In fact, the market draws in many visitors from out of town and it’s exciting that the opportunity for other shops in Otley to open on those Sundays has been recognised.
"The street music festival is sure to be a great extra attraction. The council will help with the publicising of the event, looks forward to it being a success and hopes these Sundays will bring more trade in to Otley’s regular shops.
"We are obviously concerned about the number of shops closing down due to the economic slowdown, and whilst it is difficult for the town council to alter this situation we are working with landlords and estate agents to try to use the shop windows as showcases for local community groups to display their efforts, whether it be works of art, local artefacts or advertising events and activities."
Rumours that WH Smith could soon be moving into the former Woolworth store, on Kirkgate, persist.
The company itself told the Wharfedale & Airedale Observer in June that it had "nothing to announce at this stage".
But several traders insist they have been told "it is definitely happening". The store has been empty for more than six months.
Ainsleys have said rumours that their bakers shop in Otley is in trouble are "completely unfounded".
Anyone interested in taking part in the street music festival is asked to contact Ms Davies on 01943 463353.
