![]() ![]() ![]() I’m aware I sound as though I’m working for the Welsh Tourist Board, but I promise that Prestatyn Town Council is not paying for this promotion. Not bad, for a sleepy coastal town with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. Prestatyn shops, image by Rebecca RobertsĪs for food and drink – where else outside of a major city can you munch a galette, cross the road to eat at a Patagonian steakhouse, then cross the road again and tuck into an Italian risotto? You can get your eyelashes tinted, have a sports massage, your hair shaved, cut or dyed, see a clinical psychologist, sort your taxes out, book a holiday, get a torn dress repaired, your shoes reheeled, and renew your library books in a single journey. In a single street you can buy ethically-sourced clothing, ice cream for dogs, local honey, knitting needles, a bouquet of flowers, a Ouija board, hand-poured candles, Welsh-language birthday cards, a bed and bedding, fresh cakes, a wedding ring, crafts made by local artisans, chutneys from the local estate, and organic broccoli. However, to give the Principality Building Society credit, within weeks of the last bank closing they had installed a cash point for the convenience of shoppers, and many banking services are now offered by the local post offices.) (The one service you cannot find here is a bank. There you will find beauty parlours, boutiques, cafes and coffee shops, delicatessens, pharmacies, pet shops, florists, gift shops, newsagents, cheesemongers, tailors, a plastic-free organic grocer, butchers, insurance brokers, and solicitors. Aside from the beautiful beach, the high street is perhaps one of my favourite things about the town. The town offers a glorious mix of smaller independent retailers, supermarkets, eateries, pubs and bars. Driving up the high street today, you would be hard pressed to spot an empty shopfront. The opening of Parc Prestatyn, cavernous buildings housing national chain stores, was also the catalyst for the revival of smaller shops.ĭespite the effects of the pandemic and lockdown periods, retail continues to thrive here in Prestatyn. Ironically, I believe it was the introduction of the bigger chain stores that reversed the decline of Prestatyn’s commercial district. Until the pet store caught fire and burned down. Some joker had left a lone parrot balloon on a display perch in the window, and over the years we would walk past and see the parrot’s metallic lustre fading due to prolonged exposure to sunlight the balloon slowly deflating over the years until it was just a piece of coloured foil sellotaped to the stand, a symbol of the diminishment of independent retailers on the British high street.įor many lonely years the sagging parrot sat alone. Perhaps this decline is best exemplified by the closure of the town’s only pet shop, which lay vacant for over half a decade. Prestatyn had just one street of boring shops, the sort your mum and dad liked to visit: Ethel Austin, Brooklyn DIY, Kwiksave.Īt some point during my youth the high street began to visibly decline, in line with the growth of internet shopping, as did most of its contemporaries. ![]() Rhyl was Prestatyn’s cooler, more rebellious older cousin. Rhyl housed the bigger chain stores like Marks, Next, New Look, Boots and Superdrug, as well as a slew of smaller independent shops not one but two theatres, the gaudy delights of the seafront arcades, the Sun Centre, and importantly, as we grew older, more nightclubs and bars than you could visit in a single pub crawl. We knew how to make a fiver last all day. Growing up, Rhyl was the place to spend your Saturdays.Īfter a drama lesson at the Little Theatre, my friends and I would wander into town and spend our hard-earned pocket money on cheap make-up and fast food, remembering to save just enough for the train or bus journey home.
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