8:16pm Thursday 22nd July 2010
By ivor
Oh dear.
I arrived home yesterday and went straight to the news section of this site only to be greeted with the news that John Hearn's shoe shop had gone into liquidation.
After reading the news article I sat shocked in my arm chair and started crying. It felt like I had lost a close friend.
It was only a few weeks ago that yours truly was in there buying some boots and now the shop has gone bringing to a close a 150 year presence in Wycombe.
As a child my mother would take me there to buy shoes. They always sold top quality shoes that were kind on my feet.
Only a short time ago while on one of my regular lunchtime walks around the town centre I stopped to look in their window and marvel at the impressive range of quality shoes on display.
Surely the loss of such an established and respected business must raise serious questions as to the viability of Wycombe as a credible shopping town.
But I hear you say that economic conditions are bad and that's the reason why businesses fail. Well I am afraid that I have to disagree.
It is my view that Wycombe is in terminal decline and the powers the be are either unable or incapable of creating an atmosphere in which business can flourish.
With a broken fountain now filled in with cement and bleak expanses of concrete the once lovely Frogmoor has been all but abandoned and allowed to fester. Is it any wonder that businesses nearby are closing?
Other towns would be rejuvenating Frogmoor with a working fountain and flower gardens while encouraging business and enterprise. Sadly Wycombe is doing exactly the opposite of what is required.
The fatal mistake of building an oversized shopping complex dealt a body blow to the established retail heart of Wycombe which I fear the town will never recover from.
If the current policies continue surely things can only get worse in Wycombe.
Wycombe desperately needs shops selling quality products like John Hearn did. The influx of shops knocking out cheap goods is slowly killing Wycombe and depriving us of the few shops that remain selling quality products.
No doubt the empty shoe shop will be converted into a take away, charity shop, pound emporium or even worse just boarded up after all that's all Wycombe's shops are good for these days.
John Hearn is up there amongst the greats like Murray's, Hull Loosley & Pearce, Brazil's and Jones & Rivett. They may have ceased trading but the memories will never die.
What do you think?
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