The ‘energy is changing’ in building at heart of city centre
Inside the building in May 2025(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A shopping centre with scores of empty shops is “coming alive again”. Cavern Walks opened as a lucky development back in 1994 with hanging plants, candy pink lamp posts, and the wall-climber lift linking two shopping levels and became a favourite of local celebrities such as Coleen Rooney and Alex Gerrard.
It’s built on the site of the old Cavern Club and there is a statue inside of The Beatles. At one time, the city centre building was home to high-end brands such as Cricket and Vivienne Westwood.
But several units have closed there in recent years and the upper level has been shut off completely. Those that are still trading have previously told the ECHO that a combination of increasing competition of Liverpool ONE and the covid lockdown were the reasons behind the shopping centre’s downfall in fortunes.
It’s hoped that change could be on its way. The shopping centre was bought by JSM and Greenwood Developments in 2022, with the former saying that a new hotel on the upper level will be opening its doors in 2026.
New shops are also launching, one of which is Mathew Street Records. The owners, Peter Wilson and Tom Waite, have been running pop-up record fairs under the brand Britannia Record Fairs for several years.
The shop, which will also host live music performances and album launches, was due to open in early September but this was pushed back as it said the refurbishment works were “taking longer than we thought” and it didn’t “want to rush this and end up with something average”.
In a new update, published yesterday on its Instagram account, the shop has now confirmed it will be opening this Saturday (October 11).
The record store will be connected to a new café, The Library Coffee House, which will be opening on the same day.
However, the store’s statement admitted it still had a lot of work to do between now and Saturday. The statement said: “Right now, the shop looks like the Blitz but by Saturday it will be ready to open its doors for the very first time. Ready to welcome music lovers, record collectors, locals, and visitors from every corner of the world.
“We’ve built this place from scratch with our own hands, in our spare time (and some borrowed time too, trust us!). Every crate cut out of wood, every wall painted, every inch shaped with one thing in mind – creating a proper, welcoming home for people who love music.
Mathew Street Records in May 2025(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“Mathew Street Records and The Library Coffee House aren’t just opening a shop, we’re building something that Liverpool’s been missing: a cultural meeting point, a place where ideas, conversations, and stories flow as easily as the coffee, the food and the wine! A place to sit, talk, listen and belong.
“The soil is steeped in music, creativity and defiance and we want to live it, breathe it and share it every single day with you.”
Mathew Street Records’ owners added that critics of the current state of the shopping centre were about to be proved wrong with new units opening. A new tattoo parlour also opened in Cavern Walks last week.
The record shop owners said: “They said Cavern Walks had gone quiet. They said it had seen its day. Not anymore.
“A revival is underway and it’s happening from the inside out. Shops are coming alive again, new faces are moving in and the energy is changing.
“The team at JSM, who own the building, have done wonders and with a Beatles-themed hotel now planned above us, Mathew Street is about to write its next great chapter.
“Next week, we will open the doors. Sure, we’ve still got a hundred little jobs to finish but don’t worry, we are good at multi-tasking.
“We’ll be hosting live performances, album launches, book signings, artist talks, and intimate events that celebrate the stories behind the music.
“This space will grow, evolve, and hopefully become one of those ‘you had to be there’ places that people talk about years from now.
“Mathew Street Records isn’t just about first pressings. We can’t wait to see you Saturday. Let’s get these doors open, get this party started.”
A statement from JSM about Cavern Walks earlier this year said: “Since JSM acquired Cavern Walks, we’ve always had big plans for it and now plans are finalised, work will start on a 157 bed hotel above the shopping centre in the next few weeks.
“New tenants are moving in also – among them a new record shop. The footfall from the hotel and the newly opened units will benefit everyone and really take Cavern Walks into a new era.”