Birmingham shopping ‘square’ which is actually a circle and customers come ‘for free therapy’

The decline of the local High Street has changed the landscape of the country. Tens of thousands of independent retailers and even big name chains have left our towns and cities as our shopping habits change.

About six miles from Birmingham city center is Weoley Castle Square, the area’s main shopping centre. We’re not here for a geometry lesson, but the first thing to note is that it’s not actually a square.

The circular parade, with a busy traffic island in the middle, is packed with people heading to a range of businesses including butchers, solicitors, off-licences, nail bars, chemists, newsagents, a shoemaker, a gym of amusements, a flower shop, cafes. , betting houses, fast food places, opticians, barbers and barbershops.

There is the Weoley Castle Library at one end and several churches. But the thing that stood out to me on a Wednesday afternoon, apart from a Greggs, Herons and the odd chain, all the other premises are independently owned with a loving and loyal customer base.

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Like other parts of the city, there are concerns about footfall, parking and anti-social behaviour, but it’s also buzzing. The staff have known their customers for decades.

Ian Gibson, owner of IJ Gibson Family Butchers tells me: “The customers are excellent, we’ve never had any trouble in the shop. I know all the parents, they are regular and loyal.

“We have customers from Harborne and Solihull. People travel to us for quality and discussion. It’s like free therapy for some people, we hear everyone’s problems.

“There used to be seven independent butchers in the market, now there are two. The kids don’t gather here, they used to years ago, but they don’t now.”

Bus services 46,46A, 76 and X21 drop off passengers in the square which is actually oval in shape with a grassy centre. Ian’s colleague Stef Thomas tells me: “Everyone asks it’s a square.

“It has four points leading outside the circle, making it a square.” This is something the locals like to point out.

A few steps away from the butcher is the Sense charity chop. Worker Glenys Ashton said the closure of the market and banks had left her worried. But she said: “We survive. People don’t come so much on this side, but on the other side.

“We could be here for over an hour without a customer. We need something in Weoley Castle to attract people to the area. About five years ago we had 300-400 people coming in a day, now we have 30-40 people. one day.”

On the ‘other side’ Louise Lelean manages the Vegetable Garden, where you can buy the freshest fruit and vegetables in old-style brown paper bags. She said: “I have run shops in Harborne, Stourbridge but this is the best community. I never had any problems.

“If one of the regulars dies, everyone will come in and gather. They care about each other and we always have regulars.

“You don’t get loads of Poundlands etc because the independents are doing well enough to continue. Only a few units are empty but I say come and use us, don’t lose us because we care.”

Her colleague Emma said: “When I say ‘Weoley Castle’ everyone goes ‘hmm’ but I’ve lived here for 40 years and I’ve never had any problems.

“People are talking. My children say “don’t go to the market with mom because she’ll be gone for two hours to talk!”.

Janet Brunt, 80, and her daughter Amanda Brunt, 57, who live ‘around the corner’, said: ‘We’ve lived here for 50 years and shop here most days. Everyone seems to know each other and does things like a celebration. On grass.”

Yvonne Williams runs Smash ‘N’ Grab, which her colleague calls “a cross between Wilkos and Poundland”. “This is the heart of the community, we get a lot of people coming in,” Yvonne said.

“There is a good spirit, people here are helpful and take care of each other.” Like many other stores in the market, Smash ‘N’ Grab is immaculately kept and inviting, with neat rows of stock placed with precision.

“One lady comes from Stratford because she likes our shop,” adds Yvonne. “We pride ourselves here. The independents still rule here and that’s because you get a more personal touch and assistance.”

As Nicky Moy serves food at her lively Castle Snax cafe, she notices a regular outside – an older gentleman with his wife, who has a health condition. After checking I’m OK, she tells me, “I’ve been here for 20 years and it’s a brilliant community.

“When a former worker died about five years ago, the community raised £7,000 for her funeral. We have no problem. You get the odd thief or get drunk that I had to move on, but other than that it’s a great place.”

Outside the Smash ‘N’ Grab and flowering plants in the Vegetable Garden is a mailbox decorated with drawings and the words “I love you” in different languages.

Liverpool native Giorgia Smith decided Weoley Castle was the place to open her new business, ‘Little Tinkers’, a sensory play center for children under four.

She said: “From the day I moved in I had other businesses asking if they could help. It’s a nice community.

“The police are here quite often and you get a ‘weird’ person, but he’s nice. The big pieces are difficult for small children, so they have a small section to manage here.”

Shaq Awan is the manager of Weoley Castle Mini Market, which is open from 8am to 8pm. He said, “Actually, it’s not bad around here, it’s fine. The area is busy until 3pm and then it gets quiet.

Mr. Awan admits he told the children who gathered outside in the past. He added: “There is a need for something more in the children’s centre, something more fun.”