The Gateshead street packed with independent shops and quirky micropubs and cafes

When it comes to independent shops and quirky restaurants and pub, Durham Road in Low Fell firmly delivers.

The street is not shy of successful local businesses - with something for everyone. In March the popular

The Beer Drop micropub introduced a very cool micro cinema

. It hosts regular film club screenings and film theme seasons in its new upstairs cinema.

There are also some very cool bars and restaurants including tapas restaurant Fish, which is owned by Kelly Emerson. It has recently been making waves (no pun intended) on social media. A visit from popular creator KyleVFood was hugely popular, with three quarters of a million people viewing the content.

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Kelly has diversified the business offering seafood boils as a new and popular product. She said: "We have a larger seating area now because of our social media presence, and the seafood boils have become hugely popular since Kyle visited.

"People are travelling from places like Leeds and Hull to try one, and this has been huge for the business. We offer tables where people can enjoy a seafood boil in store, and this has created a completely new way of working for us.

"We are in a great location and this, combined with the social media presence that we now have, mean that we are in a stronger position than ever as a business."

Elsewhere Low Fell Florists, which is owned by Lyn Davidson has been on the street for over two years. Lyn said: "I bought the business just after Covid, after previously purchasing flowers for my mum's funeral from here.

"I decided that I wanted to help people in the same way, as this was the last thing that I could do for her and it felt very special because of this. We have been successful so far, and I have been able to modernise the branding of the business, and benefit from the great footfall here in Low Fell."

Urban Bakery is just across the road form the florist and is well known for its products. Jonathon Bell has lived in Low Fell for 23 years, and has had the business for over 10 years.

He said: "The street here needs more publicity, as it is great and there are little to no empty shops around. I think that it is essential to have a mix of businesses for an area to be successful and that is what Low Fell has in abundance.

"There are more and more people who like to sit in and spend a longer period of time with us. Low Fell is a wealthy area too, and people want to live here, so it is just about making people more aware of the businesses that we have in the area."

Next door is the Belle Vue Estates, which is owned and managed by Paul Banning. The business is soon going to be celebrating a 20 year milestone, and Paul has shared his experience of what it has been like in Low Fell over this time period.

He said: "Low Fell is a busy area, and we wanted to act like a bit of a hub with the footfall that we get, so we offer biscuits and tea when people come in for a more personal touch. This is an ideal place to be, and the more traditional way of working face to face has definitely benefitted us here.

"There is every type of business here which can only be good for the area, and we also like to do our bit to ensure that the place looks attractive, as this will bring more people in. From an estate agent point of view, there are a mix of properties in Low Fell, with bungalows combined with some more upmarket places, so it is a great place for us to be based.