Corals Bookmakers opened
I find it interesting that a post on here mentions what we might see next - Las Vegas style arcades containing slot machines on the high street.
This is intended as a humourous comment but I must say that I was thinking the same thing when I saw that Corals has opened its doors in a prime location in the town.
Dorking, whilst struggling to maintain independent shops sees Bookmakers thriving.
posted by The Cockerel @ 7:58 PM
17 Comments:
Whoppee....a betting shop, a gambling den, a bookmaker's has opening up in the High Street. It is a crying shame that no other clothing has followed Fat Face into Dorking. Went into Horsham during the week and there were scores of clothing shops opening up in their town centre - Phase Eight, Primark, East etc. What a shame our town cannot compete with the likes of Horsham, Reigate etc. As for another barber's opening up in West Street...whoppee. Hope the people who are opening this up new venture, have done their homework as I cannot see it lasting! ~AP~
I too am not happy about Coral on the High street...... I was also not happy when Eternal Tattoos moved there either, disheartened that there is now a tattoo place in North Holmwood, not ecstatic about the cash exchanger up towards the Mayflower centre..if it is still there? This town could be so lovely. Reigate has got great shops and even got it's park act together with a fantastic play area for kids. We lag behind Horsham which always has lovely planting and a great park and leisure centre but the town is bigger so I guess they have more money to play with but why can we not compete with Reigate? We are way behind. Mole Valley DO SOMETHING!!!!!
Yes the pawn (not porn!) shop is still operating up in Lyons Court. It used to occupy the juice bar unit but, has moved further up towards the Mayflower Centre. I guess it is thriving in these tough economic times, as people have plunged themselves into debt and need to sell jewellery, items of value to make ends meet. I am also against the likes of Coral opening up on the High Street. I thought that there was some stipulation that mentioned that Corals could not open up on the High Street in Dorking and therefore had to settle for a unit hidden well away in Allen Court. It will only encourage more people to part with their money and stack up mountains of debt to make ends meet. The other day, I saw a young mother with two kids in tow, trying to get her feckless partner out of Corals. When he finally appeared, she gave him a nice right hook as, he had spent all of their cash in the betting shop instead of in Sainsbury's. A crowd appeared and there was a barrage of pushing and shoving between the couple for about 10 minutes until, he walked off across the road towards St. Martin's Walk. A sign of things to come??
I guess the tattoo shop has a purpose. Not all people who have tattoo's are young chav's intent on causing trouble. I guess they moved down to be near the former Harley Davidson garage. A lot of these Harley Davidson riders are middle aged, are educated and earn lots of money. Since the Harley Davidson closure, that end of the High Street has died and the unit remains on the market.
Also did a search on Caffe Nero and Dorking at the weekend and it looks like they are recruiting for a manager according to some job based websites. So, it appears the rumours of Curry's demise and Caffe Nero's intentions are true. It is time for town centre management and Mole Valley to step up to the plate before Dorking becomes another soulless and chain infested place to shop. We don't need another coffee shop, we just need a better range of independent shop's and some chains to put Dorking back on the map!
Finally, have heard that Arty P's (the wine bar / pub) in Dene Street, has been put on the market. When it used to be the Jolly Butcher's of JB's it was a rough, underage drinking haunt. When Rob and Viv, turned it into a wine bar admittedly with a stupid name, it was a very nice place to drink. It had an calming atmosphere and although it was very pricey, it attracted a nice mix of people. The place has lost its way since Rob and Viv left for a pub in Capel. Stella was reintroduced on tap, the over 21's was not enforced and the slot machines suddenly appeared. In other words, it went from a relaxed place to enjoy a glass of wine or an imported lager to a place where the obnoxious brigade re-appeared in a drunken stupour, with little or no respect for the other punters. Therefore, I am not surprised, that Arty P's is now on the market, as the place sits empty most of the time. Taking a look around it on Sunday, there was lots of pint glasses and shot glasses littered in the forecourt in the front and in the alleyway to the left of the establishment. Would be nice, if somebody took it over, changed the name and adopted a firm approach to the idiots who have tarnished this place in the last year or so. Adopt a zero tolerance approach to anti-social and thuggish behaviour, enforce the over 21 age limit and get rid of the Stella (wife beater) and this place could be restored to a respectable place to saviour a quiet drink.
DORKING Dan
Corals and Caffe Nero...sum up all that is wrong with Dorking. These places can be found everywhere across the length and breadth of the UK. Dorking used to have a large amount of very interesting unique shops. There are still a small amount interesting independent shops but they are dwindling month by month. Town Centre Management has to step in and give some advice on how these indep. shops can weather the upcoming recession. The same applies to the pubs in Dorking. Even a few years ago, a lot of my friends would rather have a drink or two in Dorking than go into the likes of Epsom, Reigate and Horsham. Today, the pubs in Dorking have non-existent landlords, rude staff and are a breeding ground for thugs, chavs and juvenile men in their thirties and forties who leer at anything in a skirt.
Cricketers Chris
Take a look at the sign on the front door of the chocolate shop which is next to The White Horse Hotel - sums Dorking up!!!!!!! x
Notice that The Barber Shop is opening up this Saturday in West Street and it looks like another antique shop is opening up in former Nina Boutique unit. See that the former Harley Davidson garage is accepting short term lets and I did see the note left by the lady who runs (or ran) the chocolate shop, I thought it was really below the belt! The town maybe struggling, town centre management & the council maybe really useless and I know she cannot afford to pay her rent but to criticise the town for all her problems, is absolutely ridiculous.
i agree with the last post. Its time to stop moaning and bellyaching and get up and do something about things. As a dorking resident..(a Dork? A Dorkonian?) I think we could do with some more independent shops and i agree that rents and rates need to be fair, However the Chocy shopped seemed to be closed half the time. Put in the work to see results. Look at Haskets, the hardware shop opposite waterstones and Scoop. The people in these places offer stuff thats wanted in a very positive way. sorry to sound like a raging tory but. Work harder!
I quite agree with the last post! I made a specific trip to go and see this sign. I thought it was rather amusing!. Perhaps if the lady had stuck around she would find out who's going to clean up Dorking town and pull it out of the pits!
It seems that the good old Dorks themselves will be doing so if the lovely and I dare say expensive banners appearing at the council end of town are to be believed.
I agree with the sentiment of them entirely but I am sceptical of the policing of it. If the dog warden can only prosecute 3 or 4 people for allowing their dogs to foul
in the 9 or so years she has been doing the job then it remains to be seen as to the effectiveness of the banners
The offending sign on the front door has been removed. Went by the chocolate shop and it had disappeared. Agree with the posts above, that there is absolutely no point in blaming the town for the downturn in her business. For a start the shop is never open, the post builds up, then it is closed for a family gathering, a wedding, because the sun is shining or I could not be bothered to get out of bed this morning. There are businesses which continue to thrive because they are reliable, offer good service and are competitive on prices. Examples include Clears, Cummings, Flowers by Elaine, Viva, Cafe Rialto and numerous others. I know I have included a few restaurants but the same applies. The council and town centre management should speak to the landlords who are continuing to hold out for a tenant who pays over the odds for the rent. It is not going to happen! They have to be realistic and accept short term lets if necessary. Look at the units in West Street - a new barber shop has opened and an antique shop is opening up shortly. Why are the High Street units taking so long to let? It is high time that the landlords got into the real world and accepted a tenant on a year to year rolling basis rather than holding out for a tenant who will sign a lease for five to ten years and wipe them out (by pushing up the rent substantially) after a rent review.
DORKING Dan
PS - Also agree that the council must have forked out a lot of money (council tax payers' money) on these new signs which hang from the street lights. It is not just chewing gum which is a problem, there is fast food litter, smashed bottles, spitting, sweet wrappers, cans, dog sh*t etc. etc. And, who is going to enforce this?
What about the fag butts, since the smoking ban, cigarette butts have ended up littering the streets like they did on the buses and tube in the 50's and 60's. The bins have been replaced by new style one's with a metal plate on the top for stubbing out your fag but if people don't know to use them how will they? The Mole
Naysayers - just what is wrong with people? Yes - Dorking has its economic issues - but times are tough everywhere at the moment. I for one would like to hear people stopping blaming town management / MVDC for their problems! Its actually quite incredible to see what the Town Management team do with their tiny budget!
Chewing gum banners - apparently these were FREE to Mole Valley as one of 15 'chosen' local authorities. They are of course utterly hideous - we should use banners on Lampposts to advertise GOOD things happening in the town, not just to berate the slobs! It seems the campaign is only a month long, so hopefully they will be gone soon. Just love the bright colours and gothic script, intended (of course) to appeal to teenagers!!! Maybe we could keep the bits that hold the banners up, and put them to good (future) use?
Cairns of cigarette butts - why oh why? I don't want to have to put up an ashtray (which I would have to empty) just to stop people leaving them all around our building! Its not a long walk to the bin with built-in ashtray and a recycling bin for the packet!!!!
Can someone tell me is the guy who can be seen pushing an airport trolley around the town (with I assume are his possessions ie. suitcase, plastic bags galore etc.) new to the area? I often see him wheeling the trolley on the High Street facing the traffic head on. He looks perfectly normal. I say he is in forties/early fifties. I almost nearly hit him last Tuesday evening, as he was pushing his trolley in the middle of the High Street around 10pm one evening. It is incredibly dangerous and I fear there will be a terrible accident as he prefers to use the road and not the pavement. He is often found sleeping around the magistrates court and the Dorking Sports Centre. There is another person who I worry about and this is the crazy cyclist who is in fifties who sports a black leather jacket. He constantly cycles against the flow of traffic and cycles at speed up on the pavement. Apparently, he is a very heavy drinker and has been banned from driving numerous times. Is there any truth to the rumour that he drinks all day at The Cricketers? He is constantly disobeying the traffic lights, one way signs and is often seen cycling in a very erratic state. Who should I let know...the police, the council etc.? These characters remind me of the late Frank McCormack. He was the Irish guy who abused passer's-by, walked in front of cars but, he was an incredibly gifted musician when he was younger. He fell on very hard times, his marriage ended and spent a lot of his later days at the police station, drinking heavily and berating the people of Dorking. x
Have seen the man with the shopping trolley roaming the streets at night. He spends most of his time in the day either in the library reading books about Vietnam, World War II or sitting in the grass verge behind the library near the Magistrates Court or can be seen sitting on the bench opposite the Dorking Halls. I overheard him in the library a couple of days ago, wanting to order some more books about Vietnam. He seems to be very well spoken and educated and is very polite. I just wish he could be a little more careful as he is very hard to see when he pushing his trolley through the streets of Dorking. Jo
The absolutely last thing that Dorking needed was a bookies - that end of town looks tatty and shabby now
Oh goody Dorking has been selected to receive FREE banners implying that we are all rubbish sinners and since the campaign is only for a month has absolutely no backbone at all!! Nothing like being positve in a recession and that is nothing like being positve!
In Horsham they use the banners in a decorative way but Dorking being Dorking doesn't have any significant events to adverise. The last think I can think of would have been the Thai festival which could have had gorgeous banners rather that the Heath Robinson hand made signs. Even the DDOS could use the banner sites for the adverisement of their musicals.
Re "Trashman" I wondered if he had got wind of the Dreadlocked guy who got given a house after a period of time. If he hangs aroung long enough he may get his own place. I am sorry about his situation but he doesnt make the town "look" inviting to visitors.
RE: Trash man - He is a real blight to the town. He has not a care in the world and he seems to be making himself at home in the grounds of Pippbrook. He smells, pushes his trolley all over the town looking for scraps of food and he really needs to be in a shelter (like the one in L'head) for his own good. Saying that, he is a lot better than the man who hangs around the town who is constantly pissed. He has breached his ASBO numerous times but the courts keep on letting him out to shoplift, abuse people and swagger around in a drunken stupour. As for the Corals, it seems to be doing a thriving business - there is often a queue in the morning to get on the gambling machines. How about another place to open up in Dorking to place your bets, to gamble on the hi-tech gaming machines? ;)
Good idea - I hear that Ladbrokes are hoping to relocate from Falkland Road to the High Street. What ever next a Hooters / lap dancing club to open up in the former Harley Davidson unit? Jo
Post a Comment
<< Home