Rejoicing in Ripon: Three new strings to HALLS of Ripon’s bow
🎻🛍️ The arrival of three new independent businesses has added to the vibrancy of HALLS of Ripon.
The city’s only department store, which in April saw the opening of Sustain health foods outlet with its fresh-made coffee and organic wines offer ☕🍷, has now welcomed Ripon Music Services and Nell Emanuel’s home décor business, while artist Tracey Ward has taken space to exhibit and sell her stunning original paintings 🎨.
Professional guitarist Mark Farrow, who in his 37-year career has played thousands of gigs across the UK, Europe and Dubai 🌍, now specialises in the servicing and setting up of stringed instruments for optimum performance and sound quality.
Something special to offer ✨
He told Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon BID: “I previously owned and ran a large music store on the North East Essex coast for three years and thought it was time for a change, so I headed north and was delighted when I found this space alongside a range of other independent businesses who offer something special for their customers.”
Mark added: “Ripon is a very appealing place to be because of its history and heritage 🕰️ and I think there’s a good opportunity here to carve out a niche for a specialist business like mine.”
Premium spaces 🏛️
Barry Cooper, director of HALLS of Ripon, said: “We’re delighted to be able to provide premium spaces here in Fishergate for Nell, Tracey and Mark, to showcase their services and goods. Their arrival adds to the diversity of our overall offer in a year that has proved eventful, with the opening of Sustain, and the discovery of a Medieval well 🕳️✨ that is now an attention‑grabbing feature on the new terraced area at our Marshall Way entrance.”
A £400,000 refurbishment 🔧💼
The extensive £400,000 refurbishment of the HALLS building carried out by Ripon-based Sterne Properties Limited has enabled better use of the space, including the creation of an area dedicated to secure lock‑up cabinets where businesses can display their goods.
Another way is Ripon! 🌟
Manager of Ripon BID Lilla Bathurst pointed out: “When guitarist and professional musician Mark Farrow, who has lived and worked at a number of places around the world, said he moved from Essex to set up his new venture in our city, it speaks volumes about the attractiveness of Ripon to independent businesses. It’s also a feather in the cap 🪶 of HALLS’ father‑and‑son team Mike and Barry Cooper for the way that in the post‑Covid period, they have attracted a number of fledgling enterprises and helped them to fly.”
Hedley Hall sadly missed 💛
Hedley Hall, who with fellow retailers Mike Cooper and Lloyd Sheard ensured that the famous HALLS name was able to return to Ripon’s high street after several years of being known as Wrens, sadly died in July.
Barry Cooper said: “All of us at HALLS of Ripon miss him as a friend, a colleague and a lovely, kind‑hearted and decent man. His customers also loved him and were delighted to see the remarkable range of miniature vehicles, trains, antiques and collectables that he stocked 🚂🧸.”
All photos taken by Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon Blog for Ripon BID, with the exception of the photo of Hedley Hall, which was provided by Barry Cooper.
