Upmarket, fashionable, smart

Introduction

Victorian Bournemouth (192) surveys commercial aspects of the town’s Arcade, housing shops catering for well-to-do, smart customers. It uses various contemporary sources to chart occupancy of the twenty-four shops. It finds a combination of longer-term anchor shops and businesses that appeared not to last long. The survey illustrates the taste of well-to-do people for consumables and lifestyle products. 

Victorian Bournemouth (192): Henry Joy and the early Arcade

Henry Joy

With several brothers, humble in origin, Joy had immigrated to Bournemouth near the time of its beginning. They had grown up in rural villages pitched between Wimborne and Cranbourne, their father undergoing a settlement examination in 1822. A carpenter by trade, before long Henry became involved in speculative building. On at least one occasion, he flirted with bankruptcy. During the early 1860s, he constructed Southbourne Terrace, a commercial development in the middle of town. Not long after, he built the Arcade nearby. His speculation generated disdain from others, their dubbing it ‘Joy’s Folly’. Press reports show that his projects had involved some accidents to his men. One of these afflicted the Arcade, six of its arches crashing to the ground. By the end of the decade, however, the work had finished, advertisements in the press referring to business established there. Continuous occupation thereafter indicates the soundness of Joy’s venture.

The Arcade in the 1870s

A map dated 1870 suggests that the Arcade consisted of twelve units on each side. The entrance stood on Old Christchurch Road. The design tallies with reconstructions supported by other contemporary sources. In 1871, the census lists two dozen businesses, varying much in their offering. They included foodstuffs (grocer, fruiterer), jewellers, an umbrella maker, textile shops, a shoemaker, a dealer in Algerian goods, and a tobacconist. A stone mason and two upholsterers also appeared, but their outlets perhaps functioned as showrooms rather than production units. A lodging-house seems out of place, but perhaps at the beginning, the Arcade’s owners accepted a wide range of people interested in taking a lease. Directories, supported by a press report, show that by 1872 a lady ran a school in one of the shops. She may have shared the premises with another business. Thus, by 1871, the Arcade appears to have had full occupancy.

Victorian Bournemouth (192): anchor businesses

Personal

During the 1880s at least, the Arcade had secured several anchor businesses. These fell into two categories: personal goods; other products. The personal sector included a hair-dresser and perfumer, two jewellery shops, a tobacconist who also operated as a printer, and two confectionery shops. One of the jewellers had come into residence around 1868, his widow still in place during 1891. The Algerian dealer had departed by now, but the Arcade retained an exotic flavour. The hairdresser had come from France, the confectioner from Switzerland. The latter succeeded to the extent that he expended into the competitive store adjacent to his. Directories indicate that the tobacconist-printer made a feature of imported cigars. The mason and the lodging-house keeper had departed. Thus, the luxury aspect of these anchor businesses would have contributed a great deal to establishing a strong positioning for Bournemouth’s Arcade as a shopping destination for well-to-do people.

Others

The Arcade featured other anchor businesses during the 1880s. These dealt in a variety of products, but all appeared to target well-to-do customers. 3 Arcade contained a shop that sold music, but later evolved into a piano dealer. This business, under the same ownership, lasted at least until 1901. A husband and wife ran a toy and fancy goods shop, at first in one unit. By the late 1880s, however, they had moved within the Arcade, taking adjacent units. Their business continued during the 1890s. Textile businesses saw the potential within the Arcade: drapery or hats, but also lace and ladies’ outfits. Photography also became a feature of the Arcade. The Bright family, however, became perhaps the largest anchor tenant. They occupied four outlets, perhaps adjacent. Customers could buy books or browse in the reading room, look at a needle work and wool shop, but it also contained a printer.

Victorian Bournemouth (192): other businesses

Transient

The Arcade provided premises for a variety of professional firms, most of which, however, appeared not to stay long. For the most part, these consisted of auctioneers who also acted as estate agents. Solicitors, also, found the Arcade a suitable commercial context. Once again, these firms corresponded to the consumer profile apparent from the other businesses located in the Arcade. 1 Arcade appears to have subdivided, perhaps for offices, because, in the late 1880s the address 1A housed several occupants. Some business owners did not seem to stay long during the 1880s, but, in some cases, the names listed in the source may apply to a person employed as a caretaker or resident shopman. Indeed, some shop owners residing in the Arcade earlier on had, by the 1891 census, moved out into domestic residences elsewhere in Bournemouth, a sign of success. Thus, occupancy of the Arcade underwent some rapid churn.

National multiples

Most businesses that started during Bournemouth’s early years, as elsewhere in the country, belonged to the individual who had established them. Nevertheless, during this period, some retailers began to operate on a national basis. One of these, Leverett & Frye, established a foothold in Bournemouth by taking over the grocery business established and run by Matthew Cox, a long-term resident. The first businesses which occupied the Arcade seem to fit the earlier model. By the 1880s, however, multiple businesses based elsewhere in the country arrived. Williamson & Son took a large advertisement in the Bournemouth Guardian (1883) showing a multiple presence along the east coast. They occupied 15 & 16 Arcade. Hedges & Butler, the national wine and spirit merchant, appeared at 22 Arcade in the late 1880s, a recognised brand for their customers visiting from elsewhere. Thus, the Arcade’s commercial profile began to reflect the national retail evolution.

Takeaway

Victorian Bournemouth (192) has analysed the Arcade’s commercial profile 1866-1891 as reported in contemporary sources. The reconstruction of occupancy suggests a high number of anchor businesses, some changing hands during this period. Customers who visited Bournemouth’s Arcade found goods suited for well-to-do people. Towards the end of the 1880s, businesses having a multiple presence in the country began to arrive. This will have corresponded to the Arcade’s fashionable profile.

References

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