A feast for the senses: why Hull has plenty to offer for shopping this Christmas
This Place, a column by Vicky Foster
Exploring Hull & East Yorkshire
The smell of cut flowers is practically overpowering as you pass the Paragon Street entrance of Paragon Arcade.
This is because they’re ranged along the outside windows of Flower Corner; deep-pink and cream lilies, festive red bouquets, fruit wreaths, mini Christmas trees thronged with white wooden stars and snowflakes.
They’re a feast for the eyes as well as the nose. Lift your gaze and you’ll be treated to the sight of the interior of one of Hull’s beautiful Victorian arcades, bright-coloured lights criss-crossing the vaulted glass ceiling, and a whole host of independent traders plying their wares behind the plate glass windows.
‘A FEAST FOR THE EYES AND NOSE’: Paragon Arcade
Across from the flowers is a shop called Koda, which displays a stylish arrangement of blue glasses, candles, zinc lanterns, and terrariums imported from Paris. The chatty lady inside tells me the terrariums are planted with bonsai trees, moss and flowers, that they’ll never outgrow their containers and sometimes live for twenty years.
She also tells me they’ve been quite busy on this first day of post-lockdown opening, but it’s a bit disheartening seeing so many people pass by with their Primark bags and not stop.
Across the way sits Nordic Rosie, the sister shop of Paper Rosie next door, both run by a family of women who are also warm and welcoming when you enter. The white wooden shelves hold a host of porcelain goodies; gold-edged cat-face teapots, fox-shaped cups, plant pots, jugs and sugar bowls.
Paper Rosie, one of my personal favourites, is a writer’s dream. There are soft leather journals in a range of pastel shades; sage green, pink and lavender. There are wooden-barrelled pens, pencil cases, stickers, post-its, notebooks in emerald green and gold or sapphire-blue and dotted with astrological diagrams. I could go on … but there are still more shops here.
People sit, socially distanced, on a bench outside White Rabbit, hugging cups of hot chocolate, and the window behind them displays handmade chocolate bars in flavours like rose and geranium, or lime and sea-salt.
There are glittering, gift-wrapped, chocolate scotty-dogs and the take-away menu includes a chocolate dipping pot. Next door, Two Gingers is still serving its excellent brewed coffee, imported from Berlin and other parts of Europe, along with cakes they’ve baked on the premises.
At the other end of the arcade, Segals’ the Jewellers window is packed full of gold and silver, with little hand-written price tags. It’s a stalwart of the town centre; a 100-year-old, family-run business. I’ve been buying special presents from there for decades now.
‘PART OF THE ARCADE’S HISTORY’: The apothecary-style cabinets in Homestead
Homestead, though, is a new addition. Muted bulbs in large wicker shades and candles in dark holders give the place a lot of atmosphere, and the shop is lined at one end by wooden apothecary-style cabinets the owner tells me he inherited from the sweet shop, and which before that were installed at the old tobacconists; they’ve been part of the arcade for longer than anyone can remember. Now they hold modern-looking graters, salt and pepper grinders, thick woollen blankets and hammered glassware.
I could stay here all day, but there are other locations in the city centre I want to visit. Five minutes’ walk away, Wrecking Ball Music and Books has just taken over one of the big old buildings on Whitefriargate. They’re working on renovating the upstairs rooms into a café and performance space for events, but what they’re already offering is pretty staggering.
The huge shop space holds a vast collection of vinyl, music memorabilia and books, and if you don’t already know it, Wrecking Ball – Hull’s own indie publisher - have been making beautiful books for more than twenty years now. Their back catalogue sits alongside their newest releases, and I don’t exaggerate when I say there’s something for any kind of reader.
Another five-minute wander takes you to Hepworth’s Arcade, because yes, that’s right, Hull has not one, but two beautiful Victorian arcades in its centre.
It’s worth mentioning at this point too that although crowds were not allowed to gather for the big Christmas lights switch on, due to Covid, the town centre is nevertheless adorned in its usual way.
The Christmas tree in Queen Victoria Square is almost as tall as the Maritime museum, and twists of silver and gold lights are woven around the trees and lampposts. This afternoon there’s a violinist at the top of King Edward Street, whose carols are amplified up and around the City Hall and the statues.
Hepworth’s Arcade is no less festive; paper snowflakes and cream and gold bunting fill the windows, and Roisin Dubh has amazing vintage Christmas dresses displayed on tailors’ dummies.
JE Books is my first stop here, and owner Julie is as friendly as ever. Her little shop is stacked high with any kind of book you can imagine, and if you can’t find what you want, even after you’ve climbed the tiny wooden staircase and perused the piles, she can order it for you.
She was an absolute star during lockdown, sourcing books and arranging deliveries. She’s certainly worth supporting this Christmas if you have bookworms in your family.
FESTIVE FICTION: Some of the titles on display at JE Books
If books aren’t what your loved ones are craving, maybe clothes are. If so, Beasley’s might be the place for you. Crisp Dickie’s workpants, rucksacks, jumpers, artist-designed printed sweatshirts and T-shirts are all stocked on the ground floor, while upstairs you can search the vintage clothing. They also have a whole second store devoted to headwear for the connoisseur with ranges including Stetson and Kangol.
There’s another jewellers - Branton’s - next door and of course, essential for filling any Christmas stocking, is Dinsdales’, one of Britain’s oldest joke shops. Most have a favourite item, and I’m a big fan of those little sticky men who climb down walls and windows, but you can take your pick from plastic dog poo, whoopee cushions, snapping chewing gum, fake flies and any other of the tricks they have to offer.
My final stop today is the magnificent indoor Trinity Market, accessed through a door from the arcade. There are small outlets selling candles, incense, plants, records, hand-made bracelets, lamps and cards and in the large hall the butcher’s counter is full of rich red meat and poultry.
There are huge red onions, dark green cabbage, ripe oranges at the fruit and veg stall, and the whole place is hung with big paper stars. I spotted six Christmas trees before I stopped counting.
Vittles and Co. have local ale gift sets, Hotham cardamom gin (from the distillery in Hepworth Arcade), Great Newsome Brewery’s Christmas beers – Cold Snap and Newsome Noel - and Laurel Vines local wine.
HANDMADE HEAVEN: The counter at Cocoa
After all of that, I’m ready for a recharge, and this is the perfect place. Caffeinated do amazing coffee to take away, and you can buy beans from their local partners to take home too. But you can’t leave without a visit to Cocoa. John’s handmade chocolates are delicious all year round, and for Christmas he’s got bars printed with holly, reindeers and gingerbread men, as well as big slabs of marzipan wrapped in dark chocolate and trimmed with ruby chocolate bows.
I can’t think of a better way to end a shopping trip than sitting with an espresso and one of his delicious dark brownies in Trinity Square, with the lights and Minster and the old cobbled streets.