The Royal Arcade in Norwich celebrates its 125th anniversary tomorrow (Friday 24 May 2024). Here, several of the store owners explain what the historic city centre shopping arcade means to them
Gemma Murray of Basil & Pip florists (pictured above):
“I have loved having my store in the Royal Arcade. I get to meet so many lovely people and being in the city centre means that we get a higher profile which is great for the weddings and events side of my business. Any excuse to decorate the Arcade is a good idea so I am delighted to the bunting up for the 125th anniversary.”
Niall Blunnie of SOHO Fine Art:
“Having a gallery in the Royal Arcade is the perfect match. The aesthetics and architecture make it a fantastic place to host our portfolio, beautiful art in a beautiful building, it’s just that simple and something well worthy of a 125th-anniversary celebration.”
Craig Snape at Sonkai:
“As one of the long-standing tenants we love having our store here. The prestige of the building lends itself perfectly to our bespoke jewellery business. It’s great that we are making the effort to celebrate the 125th anniversary as we need to remind people what the Royal Arcade has to offer.”
Lauren Collins-Hines of Lauren Rose Interior Design:
“My business has taken off since I moved in the Royal Arcade two years ago and I am sure most of that is down to the visibility having a store here provides. I love the building and the community of storeowners we have here. It’s a really friendly and supportive place to work and I am all for raising a glass to the 125-year anniversary.”
Jenny Bealey from Lady B Loves:
“We love the Royal Arcade as it’s the perfect place for our vintage fashion business. I still pinch myself every day that I have my dream shop in my dream location. What better place is there to sell our beautiful clothes than in the most beautiful shopping destination in Norwich? And we love an excuse to decorate the shop so the 125th anniversary is right up our street!”
Tim Kinnaird of Macarons & More:
“Having our space in the Royal Arcade has been a fantastic experience and we have been delighted with the response we get from our customers who return for more of our delicious macarons. We are delighted that we are celebrating the 125ht anniversary, so much so that we have baked a specially designed cake!”
Suzanne White of JUNI & CO:
“We have been in the Royal Arcade for nearly two years now and it has been a really exciting time. Having our store here enables us to provide personalised advice as well as run beauty, skincare and wellness events that our customers love. Being set in such a beautiful building I am sure enhances their experiences. 125 years is well worth marking with an event and I am sure that it will result in more people visiting.”
THIS EVENT HAS PASSED. Visit Royal Arcade Norwich EMBEDDED MEDIA FILES REMOVED JULY 2026 TO REDUCE CARBON FOOTPRINT
(Main image of Gemma Murray of Basil & Pip florists. Picture credit: Chris Bond Photography)
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