High street shopping on Bold Street has diminished in recent years, replaced by bustling pubs, cafes and restaurants
Busy Bold Street in Liverpool in July 1997(Image: Mirrorpix)
The passage of time is ever-reflected on Britain’s high streets, with the effects of a rapidly-expanding online shopping market resulting in the closure of long-standing businesses. On the changing landscape of Bold Street, Liverpool city centre’s most popular thoroughfare, a few shining gems hark back to the heyday of high street shopping.
The street’s survivors are well known to anyone who calls Liverpool home. Matta’s international food shop, whose eye-catching blue exterior has become something of a landmark, celebrated 40 years on Bold Street last year.
Radical community bookshop News From Nowhere moved from Whitechapel to Bold Street in 1996, and remains on the street 29 years later, offering a broad spectrum of political books on every topic from the environment to feminism to LGBT rights.
Also opening in 1996 was Maggie May’s café, proclaimed to serve the “best Scouse in the city”.
Forbidden Planet opened on Bold Street in 1994 with a special guest appearance from Batman actor Adam West, and has secured a “niche market” for all things geeky.
But opportunities for high street shopping on Bold Street have diminished in recent years, as a huge array of restaurants, pubs and coffee shops have made homes there.
One new business bucking the trend is the Fripp Store, an “affordable, inclusive and chic” second-hand clothes shop, which opened on Thursday, September 18, in what used to be the House of Colour beauty salon.
It will be the latest addition to the ever-busy Bold Street, which recently saw the addition of the Tokyo-inspired underground “listening bar” Suono and Joe & The Juice. House of Caesar, a Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant, is due to open at the end of the month.
The new Fripp Store on Bold Street(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Meanwhile, further planning applications have been submitted for currently-unused units. British high street giant Pret A Manger has been granted permission to open a new store in what was formerly the SK:N clinic, and proposals have been made to transform the former Ellis Brigham mountain clothing shop into the Coco Brazil Rodizio Bar & Grill.
The shake-up follows the closures of a number of well-loved Bold Street institutions, some of which had called Bold Street home for many years.
Ellis Brigham was one of the original “Fab Four” stores operating on Bold Street, opening to a different world in 1964.
Ellis Brigham operated on Bold Street for 60 years
Announcing its permanent closure in February this year, a spokesman for the mountain sports retailer said: “The area has changed. We are surrounded by bars and cafes. There are no more shops near us.”
The closure came just one month after The Italian Club Fish, a seafood restaurant at the top of the street, closed with “immediate effect.”
Similarly, long-standing fancy dress giant Smiffys also closed just a few doors down at the end of last year. The shop was located on Bold Street for more than two decades before it shut its doors in November 2024. It was replaced by family-run tapas bar So Salsa.
In a heartfelt tribute before the store shut its doors, a Smiffys spokesperson said: “We’re sad to announce the closure of the Smiffys Bold Street store. Thank you to the wonderful people of Liverpool for hosting us for over 20 years, we are very sad to leave and are acutely aware of the profound impact it will have on each member of our valued team, but it is a reality of a trading environment in a prime high street location.”
The old Rennies Art Gallery closed in 2022, marking the end of a three-decade era. The picturesque building, beside the Route One skate shop, was transformed into an Italian pizza restaurant, Franco Manca, in November last year.
The new Franco Manca on Bold Street
Also opening last year was Fattoush, a Lebanese restaurant expanding from its sister site at Hatton Garden in Vauxhall.
More recently, the “beating heart” of Bold Street, Leaf, announced its plans for closure on September 21 this month. The city centre venue, run by siblings Natalie and Graham Haywood, first opened in 2010, and later opened a second branch on Smithdown Road and a site in West Kirby in 2020.
Taking to Instagram to announce the sad news, a spokesman wrote: “The people. The community. The beautiful building we’ve proudly called home.
“After fifteen incredible years, it’s time to draw this chapter to a close. LEAF on Bold Street has been more than just a venue it’s been a beating heart. A place where laughter has echoed, tears have been shared, art has been made, and ideas have bloomed.
“Being part of the memories, the music, the feelings, and the unforgettable moments here has been a true honour.
“This place has meant the world to us. Through every season and every storm, there was always a cup of tea – warming hands, comforting souls.
“On the dark days, the bright days, the ordinary days and the late nights…Where there’s tea, there’s hope. To our dear friends, our regulars, our staff, our champions, thank you. This space wouldn’t have been the same without you. We leave with full hearts, lasting friendships, and memories that will stay with us long after we close the doors.”