Sunday, July 04, 2010

Empty shops at Gloucester Green

Some of us are lucky to have a view on the countryside from their living room, others have a major high street or a busy pub at the front door. I don't know about yours, but mine is quite nice: a busy square with a food market on Wednesday and an antiques market on Thursday. During the day tourists and locals drink coffee, have lunch or just sit down, relax and watch young children chasing the pigeons. In the evenings we get to see and hear the people coming out of the pubs. Somehow they always make sure that everyone hears they had a good evening with lots of beer. Also, the young folks who are too young to buy and drink alcohol in the pubs hang around on the benches at the square with some cans of beer or some bottles of wine, bought in the supermarket by someone else who is old enough to buy alcohol. Earlier during the evening, somewhere between 7 and 8, I often see people on the square just sitting down and doing nothing. You don't hear them, they don't drink, they don't eat, they just sit, that's it. Now by that time the coffee shops at the square have already closed. Knowing that at least three shops are empty and available to let at the moment, why isn't there someone who opens up a business with a nice terrace at the square which is open until at least 10 or 11 pm? With the summer coming up, surely there most be enough people who like to sit at that terrace, enjoy a nice drink and have some fun during a nice summer evening? Interesting to see how long it will take before some new businesses open at Gloucester Green....

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