Business in Boscombe

Walk into Boscombe town centre and what you'll see is a vibrant cultural scene.

Boscombe is simply full of quirky independent shops, creative businesses, cosmopolitan cafes, a bustling market and live music venues.

A spokesman for The Boscombe Traders Association tells us about trading in Boscombe today:

"So much seems to be happening right now in Boscombe, I find myself struggling to find a starting point to describe the amazing buzz with regards the current climate and state of trading in Boscombe Town Centre and Spa Village/Seafront.

Boscombe Traders have been pulled many ways lately, with Bridge closures, major shop departures and it seemed hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel but like the phoenix from the ashes, the council pulled a rabbit out of a hat and the regeneration of the seafront sent ripples of excitement surging from the pier, up the steep Sea Road and right to the doors of business’s who reaped the benefits of increased footfall and the more positive vibe that local residents seemed to portray from the excitement of Boscombes new image.

As spokeman for Boscombe Traders Association, it is easy to put my hand on my heart and say that I foresee a much more hands on approach now that Sally Coulson is taking an office in Roumelia Lane, a once unused short cut for traffic but soon to be a hub for arts, small business and affordable accommodation, thanks to the vision of David Wells and his drive to improve living accommodation  and make start up business easier with low rent lock up shops.

We are looking to work closer with Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce to ensure that we are kept up to date on new ventures, improvements and funding for community events to make everyone aware of the benefits and features Boscombe has to offer.

I doubt there is a place around which has so much diversity is such a short space, you can be sipping a fine chardonnay whilst watching the waves gently break over the Surf Reef yet only minutes later filling your trolley at a large supermarket. Eating fine food on Sea Road and then 5 minutes later, shopping for hand made crafts or designer clothes.

Even the Market on Thursdays and Saturdays has buzz, with a lot of new traders selling local made cheese, Bread, veg and flowers, in amongst mobile phone accessories and clothing galore.

I am proud to be part of this growth we are seeing and Boscombe Traders as a whole are enjoying the increased awareness the Regeneration has given us.

Hopefully we shall see some large companies set their sights on the few empty shops we have left on the High Street and the smaller empty shops in the Royal Arcade and Christchurch road are also adopted by trades who can see the potential that we have been given.