Oswestry is showing, once more, that its favourite pursuit is ‘bucking the trend’. It is not so quietly redefining itself for the 21st Century, evolving into a truly diverse and eclectic town to live in and visit.
It is sometimes difficult for the more traditional denizens of the town and its businesses to appreciate how popular Oswestry is becoming, not only as a loco-tourism destination town, but also as a great place to settle down in.
And now, a little bit of Oswestry is shaping up to become a gem of a Bohemian Quarter. Beatrice Street, once a sort of ‘forgotten’ road that you drove through on your way out of town, is now the place to head to for the indie’s among us.
Linda La-la Land is très retro – with a huge range of vintage clothes and accessories, one off pieces or great potentials for re-purposing.
Established – a great treasure trove of second hand and used furniture, also plays host to some fantastic vintage menswear – from old but beautiful tweeds to sixties sharp suits.
A quick shimmy down the road and you hit Outwhere Records – a blissful vinyl and CD Shop that takes me straight back to my teen years and LP buying on a Saturday with my hard earned pocket money. For the younger generation, it is a glorious introduction to the wonderful world of Vinyl Heads.
Moving into the beautiful timber framed building on the other side of the street is ‘Material Therapy’ a collective of talented women with a range of skills, from upholstery, dress making, alterations, paper wedding favours and heaps upon heaps of fantastic vintage and second hand fabrics. Plans are afoot for a range of fabulous classes and tutorials.
Beadazzled – has spun across the road into larger premises, with a bigger display area and ample space for their popular beading and jewellery workshops.
And that’s just one street. New independent shops keep popping up – a much needed new music shop, a games workshop, and, because we really do like our refreshments – a number of tea and coffee houses.
Add that to the fantastic shops and galleries we already have and its no wonder that the folks from Chester, Wrexham and Shrewsbury are choosing to enjoy their shopping in Oswestry. Guess they heard it on the grapevine!
