St Giles’ Street business owner shares just how much is on offer in Northampton town centre

A St Giles’ Street business owner has shared just how much is on offer in Northampton town centre.

Following the increase in costs in the town centre multi-storey car parks and on-street parking at the start of April, one of the co-owners of Vintage Guru wanted to speak out about why it is still worth the visit.

Julie Teckman has worked hard alongside Matthew Lewis to establish their eclectic emporium of vintage and new gifts over the past four-and-a-half years.

Despite setting up at a time when many town centre shops were shutting down – including M&S in Abington Street during the month they opened – St Giles’ Street is now thriving with independent businesses.

On-street parking in St Giles’ Street has increased from 60p to 70p per half an hour, £1.20 to £1.40 per hour, and £2.40 to £2.80 per two hours – but Julie urges customers to trust that what is on offer is worth the increase.

She said: “It is surprising how much you can do in two hours, with the convenience of being close to where you want to visit with on-street parking.

“Anywhere you go the parking will be more expensive the closer you are to the shops, but this is still good value for money.

“You can walk straight into the shop or eating venue you want to visit and go straight back to your car.

“There is a wide variety on offer right on your car door step.”

Julie also wanted to remind visitors that the on-street parking in St Giles’ Street is free on bank holidays – something to keep in mind with the three coming up in May.

When asked to pinpoint the independent businesses making a positive contribution to the street and town centre as a whole, Julie named KS flowers, Abraxas Cookshop, St Giles Cheese, Butterwick Bakery, and the two long-established jewellers.

St Giles’ Street has also seen a new addition this week in the form of health and wellness shop, Eden Wellness. There will be more to come on this from the Chronicle & Echo in due course.

Though Julie has advised it is wiser to park in one of the multi-storey car parks for £2.20 if you plan to stay for a full day over the weekend, she says the on-street parking serves its purpose and is well worth doing for stays up to two hours.

Talking about how much love and care goes into running an independent business, Julie said: “It is your life. When you put all your time, money and heart into it, it’s more than a business.

“It’s hurtful when people are negative towards what you bring to the town, as you know what you put into it 24/7.”

As Julie discussed in a recent interview with this newspaper about the success of Vintage Guru, owning a business is now about the experience you offer to customers to keep them coming back for more.

She said: “We’re grateful to the loyal customers who keep coming back and appreciate what we do.”

Julie was extremely pleased to see the return of Lawrence’s Coffeehouse and says she “can’t tell you how great it has been to have them back open again”.

“It is a piece of history back in the town centre,” said Julie. “They’ve made it as close to the original as they could, and it’s lovely to see people having afternoon tea as you walk past.”

Ahead of the coffee shop reopening the team visited Vintage Guru to find quirky items to house in the new venue, which Julie was pleased to have been asked to supply.

The eclectic emporium sells items for as little as 50p all the way to hundreds of pounds – but no matter the value of the purchase, they are always pleased to see customers find what they were looking for.

The business co-owner, who never envisaged her career would lead her to owning a shop like Vintage Guru, said: “We take time to chat to customers and find out more about them.

“We come to learn exactly what they like and often get in touch if we find something we think will be up their street.

“These special relationships keep them coming back for the experience, and they bring new customers along too.”

With free on-street parking in St Giles’ Street on bank holidays, Julie hopes the people of Northampton plan to make the most of it – particularly with lots going on in the town centre to celebrate the Coronation.

With every customer that visits the different shops and venues along the street over the upcoming bank holidays, each owner will be encouraging them to visit the neighbouring shops too.

Julie used quirky cafe and bar The Eccentric Englishman as an example, which she will be promoting to Vintage Guru customers over the coming month.

On a final note, Julie said: “If people look out for the negatives, they will see the negatives – and the same goes with embracing the positive aspects of the town centre.

“We have a good network of businesses working with each other, not competing. We all offer something different and appreciate that we are all trying to improve the town.”

Julie and her fellow St Giles’ Street businesses look forward to welcoming more into the community, to work towards the common goal of making the town centre a “thriving place”.

To read Julie’s other latest interview with the Chronicle & Echo about the success of Vintage Guru, click here.