| "We’ve been here for 9 years and since we’ve opened we’ve had positive reaction from everybody apart from an initial knee-jerk reaction from the local press. We bring in a lot of business from across Lancashire, and we have an active website which brings in business from all across the UK. We describe ourselves as a head shop and seed bank - it’s a term that our users understand and it doesn’t cause offence or confusion amongst anyone else. We’re very strict about not selling anything smoking-related to anyone under 16 ." |
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"It’s nice to see so many different one-off businesses on one street - you get personal service on Drake Street. The shops here are individual, unique and have got a stake in the future of the street. I’d like to see some kind of encouragement of younger businesses - short-term lets, shared shops that kind of thing. We’re developing the upper part of the building for office accommodation, and this part of the street seems quite stable. At the moment we’ve also made contigency plans for the arrival of the tram. It has got to be good, but as most of our business is not dependent on passing trade I don’t anticipate that it should make a big difference to us."
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"I’ve recently been researching the history of our building and found that it was previously owned by James Duckworth, one of the Rochdale Pioneers. It was a ‘Practical Hatters’ from 1866, run by Samuel Howarth. As well as me, we employ two dogs, Lizzie and Freeman and two cats, Zoe and Annie, many people come just to see them, and if we had room for a horse we’d fit one in as well. "
http://www.natural-mystic.co.uk
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