Quiggins
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Quiggins is a collection of some 40 small alternative stores in the city centre of Liverpool, England. The original Quiggins centre was set up as an antique trading business, but parts of the building were rented out to other antique traders. The centre has diversified into providing space for specialist and alternative stores.
Quiggins' first building was opened on the city's Renshaw Street in 1986. The business soon outgrew the building, moving to their current larger location on School Lane in 1988. Quiggins has ever since been considered a part of Liverpool's cultural scene, with the building seen as an ideal place to trade and congregate. Many of the stall holders are local artists and craftsmen.
As part of Liverpool's Capital of Culture bid, the local city council devised the Bluecoat Triangle development, later named the Paradise Street Development Scheme, to boost the cultural area of the city centre as part of ongoing improvements. One part of this development was the relocation of the Quiggins centre. Many local residents and businesses have lodged objections to this section of the plans, and a campaign has been started to gain support for an amendment to the plans.
On 19 May,2004, the development scheme was approved by John Prescott, the British Deputy Prime Minister. This resulted in the issue of compulsory purchase orders against several businesses in the development area, including Quiggins. A legal challenge against the orders to a public inquiry was launched by the owners of Quiggins, Jimmy and Peter Tierney. However, negotiations in August 2004 between them and Grosvenor, the developer behind the development scheme, led to the withdrawal of the challenge.
The compulsory purchase order still stands, meaning that the Quiggins building will still be bought by Liverpool City Council in 2006. Quiggins are in negotiation with Grosvenor over a potential move to the George Henry Lee building on Church Street, currently occupied by a John Lewis department store. It is known that John Lewis have a desire to move to the new Paradise Street development, and part or all of the building could be let or sold to Quiggins should such a vacancy arise.
External links
- Quiggins - Official website (http://www.quiggins.com)
- Quiggins - Official forum (http://forum.quiggins.com)