City centre street 'on the up' and the distance that divides it

Take a stroll down Renshaw Street in Liverpool city centre, and every time you'll notice a new business which has opened up. What was once a street which felt like somewhere you pass through on your way to Bold Street or Hardman Street, is now beginning to feel like a destination of its own.

The feeling of excitement for Renshaw Street has been fuelled by the arrivals of places like Renshaw Street Food Market, which ECHO reporter Alice Walker said she "didn't want to leave". Venues like this appear to have fuelled the street's long-established businesses such as U N I Indian Restaurant and the "Aladdin’s Cave" antique shop 69a Renshaw Street.

One pub-goer on Renshaw Street, stood outside Danny Mac's Tavern smoking a cigarette said: "I've always drank here but in the past few years it's become much nicer. You've got all these Asian restaurants and supermarkets - it's becoming really exciting." This feeling was echoed by David Strong, who owns record store 81 Renshaw.

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Speaking to the ECHO, he said: “It seems to be on the up - they’re sort of redeveloping it. There was a bit of the road which was unused and it seems to be being sorted gradually.

“Quiggins probably encouraged a lot of footfall but people still come here - you’ve got tourists going down to see the cathedrals and there’s all the students who pour down this way to filter into town. It does get a bit quiet sometimes, but whenever I think it’s quiet, all the other record shops in town tell me they’ve also been quiet.."

David took over 81 Renshaw, which is steeped in historical significance, from its previous owner Neil over a year ago. He said: “About eight years ago, the previous owner Neil bought it and turned it into a live venue. Then when covid happened, it put the brakes on it.

“I was working here about a year and a half ago when I asked Neil if he was looking for a partner. He offered to sell it to me and I took over.

“The Mersey Beat magazine used to be based upstairs and then they moved up to the next floor. John Lennon has been up there, The Rolling Stones - it’s got all that history."

Though some are enjoying Renshaw Street's apparent new lease of life, it doesn't seem to have had the same effect on the north end of the road. Steven Crosbie, who owns the Liffey said: “The other end of the street has definitely had more attention than this end.

"Renshaw Street is picking up and it’s a lot better than it was when we first opened this place up but the two pubs next to us are derelict at the moment and there’s nobody in them.

"I think the fact that Rapid has gone has a big impact. We need a couple of pubs beside us to be able to build. Or a restaurant, but not another convenience store or a takeaway."

The buildings that were home to the original Rapid store on Renshaw Street now belong to a range of different businesses, including Rudy's on the corner of Bold Street. But it's memory lives on in Hardware, a coffee shop which is celebrating Rapid’s past.

Hardware Coffee & Kitchen was opened two years ago by husband and wife Callum and Rachel Scott, who wanted to offer a modern twist on the building's history, after Rapid Hardware left a "significant mark" on the city. Callum previously told the ECHO: "We own a building next door which is like an aparthotel and the building next door came up for sale.

"It had the old Rapid sign above it and it was when we started doing renovations to the other building last year we realised how much Rapid meant to Liverpudlians and how well they remembered it. When we’d say where about we where, we’d say Renshaw Street and no one would ever know, so we'd say where Rapid used to be and everyone would know.

"We just felt like calling the business Hardware Coffee & Kitchen ties in well and we’ve not tried to copy the name but bring back the Rapid theme."