Town Centre

 

 

Virtual Shop Fronts

Due to the current recession and challenging financial times we are facing, many retail units are subsequently becoming/remaining vacant for a substantial amount of time. According to a survey of Town Centre Managers carried out in 2008, highlighted the problem of vacant units causing eyesores in so many town centres and it has been recognised that empty shop windows often leads to an increase in vandalism. Empty units make a town look derelict and unwelcoming and in a time while we are trying to encourage visitors and shoppers in to the town centre, these empty units reflect badly on the town’s overall image.

In response Transforming Trowbridge and the Town Council, through Trowbridge Museum and the Trowbridge County Town Initiative has employed leading experts in this field, Smart City Dressing to suggest an affordable and yet highly effective solution to the problem of empty shops which we believe will go a long way in attracting people back into town centre to shop and socialise.

Virtual shop fronts was agreed on empty units creating a sense of activity and vibrancy where otherwise there would have been blank (and all too often fly-posted) windows. These have the added “twist” of including images of local historic artefacts from the Trowbridge Musuem which are hidden within the virtual shop fronts, which in time will become part of the Trowbridge town heritage trail. In total we have “dressed” ten vacant shop units and we hope that you will agree that these make a real contribution to the vitality of the town  centre.