Hull's Paragon Arcade full for the first time in 30 years

Paragon Arcade has welcomed a tattooist, a niche and upmarket stationery shop and a milk and cakes outlet as new businesses. A brow bar was poised to complete the set but must now wait after the government announced a delay for that sector 24 hours before the planned opening.

The lettings mark a major milestone for Allenby Commercial, which bought Paragon Arcade in the autumn of 2017 and has since been working on a loving restoration programme, creating business units and building a community of like-minded traders.

Georgia Allenby, Design and Marketing Manager at Allenby Commercial, said: “We have always had a passion for Paragon Arcade and we became aware very quickly when the previous owners decided to leave.

“By selling to us, they passed it on to another family business and we embarked on a tasteful and stylish development to bring something unique to the city centre.

“We have upgraded the units and made them suitable for small, independent businesses which each bring something different. We have also selected the tenants very carefully to make sure they complement each other in terms of products and the

character of the individuals.

“We are thrilled with the outcome and with the fact that all the units are now occupied. We have been talking to people who have been coming here for 40 years or more and nobody can remember Paragon Arcade being full in all that time.”

Paragon Arcade was built in 1891 by Sir Alfred Gelder but as occupancy dropped to around 50 per cent in recent years.

Last weekend Ben Middleton opened his Three Blind Mice tattoo parlour. This weekend Rebekah Suddaby and Aaron Crossland will open Milchig selling things made with milk – ice cream, cakes, cookies and brownies all made on the premises.

Lucy Rose, Caroline Hawksford and Shannon Bean – the family team behind Nordic Rosie – will soon open Paper Rosie, selling an array of quirky and stylish stationery, cards, paper and prints.

Elena Georgiou, partner of Ben Middleton, has been waiting to open her Neon Velvet brow bar since March and is now eyeing a new date of 15 August after the government’s latest intervention.