Weirdfish, Crew, Fatface....what next Quba Sails? yes the killer virus of the modern small town street scene has evolved from charity shop to a new cancer, one that infects the middle aged middle class consumer.

My friend you are mutton dressed as lamb, you are not an action man or woman, your purchase will not make you an individual and worse still these new shops are destroying the identity of the the (any)town and wiping out the profits of the real individual outfitters.

Just back from Keswick where I've seen the future and it's not pretty. The past has been wiped out there now and all that remains are shoddy chinese made goods and perpetual sales.

Gone are their version of Mortens, Eric Expensives and Basecamp...

The most disturbing aspect of you post was not the fact that I do not have a clue as to what Basecamp &c means, but more that there was a google ad for Fitness something or other that had a picture of a woman that looked like she had just been stamped out of a target age, target class, woman on an exercise machine machine.

I don't really get the full point in your post. These 3 shops sell outdoor clothing for walkers etc. Well, Weird Fish does and I'm sure FatFace are similar. What do you want shops in Ilkley to sell? Do you not have a problem with Burtons? Dorothy Perkins? M&Co? Joules? Which shops exactly are they supposed to be wiping out the profits of?

I shop in Weird Fish and FatFace, they sell things I can't get anywhere else in town, would you rather these shops weren't there forcing people to go to Leeds instead?

I like Basecamp, they have knowledgeable staff and sell quality kit, but the prices are eyewatering. If they are feeling the pinch they should consider introducing some lower-priced items into their product range. I'm not sure they really compete with the likes of weird fish or Fat Face both of whom seem to be in more direct competition with each other.

I think I see T's point about identikit outfitters but, like the boo-teeks in Leeds, they're only supplying demand. Remember Beneton and their united colours (and revolting poster ads)? It's only another manifestation of the same thing.

Don't agree that F/Face et al cater for the same audience as Basecamp Ilkley, for example, but do agree that one has to look very carefully before buying yer outdoor gear...take Rohan, for example: what used to be very good (in the main, anyway) is now generally relatively poor and not up much more than the budget brands it used to ostentatiously out-strip. Certainly not worth the dough they ask for it, IMHO.

Cross-over brands like North Face were all over New York a couple of years ago and are now selling well in the UK. Just spare me from the south-central LA death-row chic, or anything with a bloody surfboard or VW camper van on it.

David Goldie in Skipton...now there's a right shop.

The army surplus stall in York market has gortex ex-navy coats (not hooded) at £20 and extreme cold shirts at £15, and they are both brilliant. Better than anything I have bought new to do the same job, including the £150 Keela jacket. I feel I have to put in a word for Speaks in Keighley as well.

Mortons has to be the best shop in ilkley. I haven't got a problem with the clothes shops I gave up on thoSe ages ago. It's all the coffee shops I've got a problem with!

Alicemaylara wrote:
Mortons has to be the best shop in ilkley. I haven't got a problem with the clothes shops I gave up on thoSe ages ago. It's all the coffee shops I've got a problem with!

Welcome to the madhouse

Oh..thank you!

Do you know what would work really well in Ilkley? A unit somewhere given over to small shop units on easy in out terms and low rates encouraging locals to sell all manner of goods.

Ilkley's high streets are a no-mans land to new businesses now, high rent, businesss rates and long leases kill any new ideas before they get off the ground.

Personally, I think we need a new hairdresser's

BertieWooster wrote:
Personally, I think we need a new hairdresser's

Yes! One that also serves coffee and...

...second hand army stuff, perhaps in aid of ex-service personnel?

I like the idea of a small indoor Market maybe just once a week with all sorts of things such as organic food, local farming products. They have the same sort of thing in skipton and otley, it would be much better than the new coffee shop replacing woolies- which by the way should have stayed! No where to get cheap DVDs or cellotape now!

ilkley does have many independent small shops left, like cakewalk and the others in that little building bear Bistro Saigon, but as Thorndyke points out, ilkley rents have the usual ilkley premium on them. But none of the landlords will give a toss about helping little business, they just want the most rent that their property will bring.
FWIW, I like some Fatface and weirdfish stuff, but they are fashion, unlike basecamp who sell decent walking/climbing/AR/skiing stuff. But yes, their prices have the usual ilkley premium on.