- New shops include pottery painting, haberdashery, a health & wellness café, multicultural grocery store and permanent jewellery
- Launch event includes entertainment, offers, prize draws and ribbon cutting
- Town Hall Place is a significant milestone in Tamworth’s regeneration
Tamworth Borough Council is inviting local people into the town centre for the official opening event of new independent shops in Town Hall Place on Saturday, 7 March.
Shoppers, residents and visitors are invited to join the celebration and take advantage of prize draws, discounts and treats being offered by the new businesses on the day.
While the shops will open in line with their usual Saturday hours, there will be additional entertainment between 11am and 3pm, including a singer and walkabout characters.
Mayor of Tamworth Cllr Chris Bain will do the official honours of cutting the ceremonial ribbon for Town Hall Place at 12pm.
The new retail hub, located opposite the historic Town Hall, is made up of seven small individual units offering affordable rents and flexible terms.
Owned and managed by Tamworth Borough Council, Town Hall Place has been designed to help small niche businesses start up and grow, while improving the choice and appeal of the town centre.
Four exciting and carefully-selected businesses are now open, each bringing something new and vibrant to the high street. Another is due to open later in March, with contracts being finalised for the final two.
All the businesses are either brand new start-ups, or making the move to their first fixed premises. They all say that securing an affordable unit at Town Hall Place has been a dream come true.
Brew is a café offering a selection of healthy food and drink including nutritious bagels, salads, acai bowls, matcha, fruit sorbets, protein shakes and more.
It has been opened by Amy Collins, who had been looking for the perfect location to bring her vision of a health and wellness café to life for a couple of years.
Castle Notions is a haberdashery where people can buy their fabric, wool, buttons, thread and sewing machine accessories.
Owner of the business Novel Wust plans to host workshops and social sessions in sewing, knitting, children’s crafts, sustainable fashion, upcycling and heritage crafts.
The Paint Pot Studio, from Kate Watts, is a welcoming space for people of all ages to relax with refreshments while trying their hand at a variety of creative pursuits.
It will offer ceramic pot painting sessions throughout the year, alongside a rotating programme of arts and craft activities, such as painting, bubble art and T-shirt making.
The Tropical Market is the brainchild of Fred Borson, who recently moved to Tamworth from Birmingham and spotted a gap for authentic African and Caribbean ingredients.
As well as providing groceries including plantain, beans, yam, cassava, frozen fish and meats, herbs and spices, Fred is planning to bring the community together through events such as cooking classes.
The four retailers will soon be joined by Adelia & Rose, which specialises in permanent jewellery including bracelets, anklets, necklaces and rings designed for long-lasting everyday wear.
Adelia Parry will also be offering a charm bar, where customers can create their own charm bracelets, and a range of hand-picked jewellery to buy. She also plans to introduce a training academy teaching permanent jewellery.
Anyone visiting on 7 March will be able to check out the new shops, meet the owners while taking advantage of launch prize draws and special offers.
While Adelia & Rose will open officially on 21 March, Adelia will be at the launch event to provide a taster of what she has in store for the town.
Final stages of town centre regeneration
The official opening of Town Hall Place marks the final stages of the multi-million-pound Future High Streets Fund regeneration project, which has seen the opening of a brand new college, a revitalised St Editha’s Square, the widening of the Castle Gateway, and the creation of a second enterprise centre in the town.
Chief executive of Tamworth Borough Council, Stephen Gabriel, said: “It’s been great to see these interesting and exciting new businesses opening over the last few weeks. As well as enabling local entrepreneurs to realise their dreams of business ownership, the vision for Town Hall Place is also coming to life – to offer an affordable retail space that adds variety to the high street.
“The businesses have all been carefully selected with the aim of bringing more people into the town centre, and we hope to see the town’s residents supporting these retailers to succeed and grow.
“Our official launch event on 7 March provides the perfect opportunity to meet the business owners, see what they’re offering and enjoy some extra entertainment.”
More information about the Future High Streets Fund project and all the different elements that have been delivered so far is available at www.transformingtamworth.gov.uk.