Assignment 2 - Story 1

Afflecks is not the be-all and end-all for market businesses after all.
By Karen Asbury

After the late Afflecks Palace was re-born this week, but stripped of its regal status down to just “Afflecks”, there is a new air to the building that, to so many, just isn’t what it used to be.

Named as the face for culture in Manchester, many argued that by closing Afflecks Palace, knocking it down, or changing it in any way would severely lower its reputation and consequently, its appeal. But unfortunately for the popular student hang-out, it must also be seen as a business, and not just a freebee meeting place.

Me & Yu, a fashion stall specialising in DIY clothing and accessories was previously a successful little earner located on the third floor but are one of the few businesses that shall not be returning to the Northern Quarter building after its re-opening.

However, despite many claiming that leaving the reputable building would result in complete closure and bankruptcy, for certain shops like these; it was merely an unseen opportunity.

Claire Harris, who formerly worked on the Me & Yu stall, argues that leaving Affleck’s Palace was beneficial and allows for this variety of business to spread out, and not just remain clustered in one area.

“The stall at first wasn’t too bad when they said Affleck’s was closing” she claims.“Because they have a stall on the fashion market and they had just opened their own boutique, the owners of the stall were not at first too panicked. Obviously they were sad of the news, and my boss, Angela Hulme, was the one doing most of the campaigning to keep the place open. More so than anyone else I would say! She was on all the videos, in the protests, giving talks, and she was in the Manchester Evening News loads. ”

Harris added that money was a major issue, not just for the owner of Afflecks, but also for the market-type stalls.

“The stall I worked on paid £200 per week for rent but it generally depends on the square foot of each shop. There were a lot of rumours before the upcoming ‘closure’ about rent prices going up but I’m not actually sure if they ever did. No-one was allowed to talk about it, so we were pretty much left in the dark. I do know though, that the majority of people who moved out left because of these rumours and the fact that there was so much uncertainty, which no-one needs or wants when you’re trying to earn your wages. We never even knew it was at risk of closing until two weeks beforehand. Everything was pretty much hearsay as far as we were concerned.”

Although there was little information, there was enough available to create panic.

Many of the shops frantically searched for alternative locations but some were left with no-where to go, and the corridors of the “Palace” were left empty and without it’s beloved bohemian look. However, with new owners, and new money, some businesses have come crawling back.

“I know of a few stalls that have moved back in now and are looking forward to the future of Afflecks but I know how difficult this period has been for them. I have read quotes from Helen [Gaskell, of Grin Clothing on Floor One] talking about there being no-where else to go for unusual and outrageous stores like the ones Afflecks hold, and I agree. A stall like Me & Yu could possibly never survive on a main street in Manchester.”

Afflecks Palace was at risk of closure as the landlord’s lease was due to run out in June of this year. However, Bruntwood took over and “saved the Northern Gem” that so many Mancs flock to at weekends.

A joint statement between the management of Afflecks Palace and Bruntwood said: "After 26 years of trading, Afflecks' management has sold their company to Bruntwood in an agreement that protects the future of Afflecks. Bruntwood will manage Afflecks while they look for a new owner who is skilled in running market style businesses and can bring a similar level of enthusiasm and dedication that the existing management has."

Tony Martin has now been brought in to manage Afflecks, and as he was previously responsible for the Festival Village in The Trafford Centre, it would appear he is qualified for the task at hand.

Harris added: “According to Angela, my old boss, they are now having live bands play in there, and a brand new café with up and coming artists to decorate. It sounds great, but of course, a lot of students and young people will be disappointed at the change. Apparently it is going to be great but I personally won’t be going back to work there. It was great to be a part of it, and I was there for four years, but I think it’s best to leave something while it is at its peak – and I think that time has passed for Afflecks Palace. Plus, I think it would be lovely to have Saturdays back to myself!”

Many have hailed the decisions as a fantastic business move, and even key figures in the area have been showing enthusiam on forums and comment sections of news websites.

Anthony McCaul, the City Centre Campaigner for Manchester Labour commented on a Manchester Evening News article praising the news.

“Great news indeed - well done to the Traders for a great campaign and for the Council for getting the parties sat down together. Thanks should also go to the thousands of people who have signed the petition to support Afflecks - a true Northern gem. Let’s see Bruntwood and the Council organise a fantastic street party on Tib Street to celebrate!”

But for those stalls who were fell behind, and couldn’t afford to move back are left only with memories.

What do you think?

more at twiigs.com...

We asked some passers-by on Afflecks Day (The day of the re-opening and re-naming to “Afflecks”, April 12th) what they thought of the rejuvenation.

“I didn’t really care about it as much as other people my ages. I helped raise awareness for the protests against the closure because I know it’s something my friends feel passionate about. But me personally, I wanted the place gone. It was a tired and scummy place for kids to sit-around, and I’m sure that won’t change.”
Timmi Wilson, 25, Freelance Photographer

“I’ve been to Afflecks in the past and I think it was better as it was. They made more business because everyone knew who was there. Now that they’ve tried to change it, businesses that people went there for, has been lost. I think they’re at risk of losing a lot of business.”
Amy Munster, 19, Cabin Crew Student

Assignment 2 - Story 2

All good things must come to an end – So why was Afflecks an exception?
By Karen Asbury

“If we aren't careful, Manchester is going to lose all the things that make it special," said Jackie Haynes in 2002. Haynes’ costume shop was once a part of The Coliseum, a shopping emporium in The Northern Quarter that specialised in alternative fashion – very much like Afflecks Palace.

Unfortunately for the Coliseum, which was also located on Church Street it was closed down that year in favour of new flats and offices. So how was it that Affleck’s was saved from a similar fate and The Coliseum perished? Perhaps there is simply more offered at Afflecks, but whatever the reason, the love for the bohemian structure, is undeniable.

As soon as the rumours began that Afflecks could possibly close, the reaction from the general public was astounding. Bloggers went crazy, and Facebook Groups were launched. And why not? After all, it was a Facebook group that brought the beloved chocolate bars Wispa, back into stores. So who is to say that an online community couldn’t prevent a well-loved Mancunian building from being closed? The fact is, it could.

The support for Afflecks Palace was so great, that no matter what your view on the matter, it was impossible to ignore.

A petition was created immediately after news broke in February 2007 that the lease was due to run out in June of the same year. Aptly named “Keep Afflecks Palace Open” the petition attracted over 8000 signatures in total and generally the views expressed were that of sadness and great disappointment at the prospect of closure. The petition was linked from Facebook Group “Save Afflecks Palace” which could explain the similar number of members – 8,179.

January 2008 saw an impressive protest outside of the gothic building to show support and to prove that that there was enough enthusiasm to keep a business afloat.

Manchester based online magazine “Designer Magazine” also became involved, writing an article on the matter, comparing Afflecks Palace to the fallen Camden Market. This article in particular triggered reponses from local photographers as well as Rupert Hill from Coronation Street.

The fact is, people still craved the crazy corridors and DIY stores.

A Bruntwood Spokesman said: “Never in our 30-year history have we bought one of our customer's businesses but Afflecks is a Manchester icon that we wanted to protect.”

So after a year of negotiation and uncertainty, why did they suddenly want to save the indoor market? Many famous faces have sprouted from the tattered hallways of the building, but have grown into house hold names.

Wayne Hemingway, creator of fashion label Red or Dead started off selling his own products in Afflecks Palace and was more than happy to jump on the Save-Afflecks-Bandwagon.

Although it has been argued that many great things have emerged from Afflecks, such as The Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses, or even just a lovely new top, some believe that the new owners will be the death of it’s spirit.

Posting on a Manchester Blog, a comment was left condemning new owners Bruntwood.
It said: “Not only has a lifestyle, a fantastic, brilliant, beautiful community been ruined but this it yet another reason that capitalism cannot be allowed to change all that is good in this country forever. The management have been brilliant, and all my respect goes out to Elaine Walsh, a fantastic woman, who has changed the face of alternative Manchester along with her late husband James Walsh. I hope Bruntwood are happy. I hope all their money makes them happy. I hope whatever they do with Afflecks makes them happy.”

But of course, things change and the world moves on. But will the internet have the same impact over how the future of Afflecks is dictated? I guess we will have to wait and find out.

Watch below to look back on Afflecks Palace in the past year.

Assignment 2 - Reflective Essay

After reading that Afflecks Palace was to be saved, the stories published on the matter seemed to follow a similar pattern. They all concentrated on the fact that a “Northern Gem” had been saved. However, it was not made clear in any of the articles I came across in my research, what the impact was for many of the stalls who had to move out of the building when there was the threat of closure.

I had previously spoken to a girl named Claire Harris, who I bought clothes off over the internet. I found out she was creating her own clothing and selling them through a stall in Afflecks named “Me & Yu”. After a visit to the building when the rumours first began regarding the closure, she was unable to comment on the matter, as all staff were warned not to talk to the press, at risk of creating more panic. However, after keeping in contact with her, and after the stall she worked on had no choice but to leave Afflecks Palace, she was an active member of petitions to save the building, and had posted bulletins on her Myspace page announcing she would be leaving there. She also kindly sent me a picture of herself, and of the stall to make my article more aesthetically pleasing. I felt this would be an interesting angle and interview for my first article, as people like these were very much unrepresented on the whole Afflecks-closure story. Although many stories, particularly from the Manchester Evenings News were very much concerned with the cultural aspect, it was rare that the closure and re-opening was looked at from a business perspective. Although the joint statement made from Afflecks’ was heavily repeated, I felt it was necessary in creating a brief bit of context. I also researched the Manchester Evenings News’ coverage, and used this as my basis for research for both articles.

To add interactivity to article 1, I included a “What do You Think?” section at the end, which included a poll created on www.twiigs.com that invited comments, rather than a list of pre-written choices. I was previously unaware this was possible, as I had not seen a “poll” like this on any other website, but because of the many strong opinions people hold on this topic, I felt it would be more beneficial to allow users to enter their own content rather than select “yes” or “no” from a list. Whilst at Afflecks Palace, I also asked some passers-by what they thought on the matter. Many of the opinions were the same so I chose the three comments that were strongest to create a reaction and to hopefully trigger response and debate, which could be taken full advantage of since the story was uploaded to Blogger.

For my second story, I felt it was interesting to look into why exactly the building was saved. A similar building, also in the Northern Quarter named The Coliseum was very similar to Afflecks, yet was knocked down in 2002. There was very little information about The Coliseum online – only that it was competition for Afflecks. I did find however, a Directory of the Tenants that occupied The Coliseum and it was interesting to see that a large number of them moved across the street to Afflecks proving that there really is only a small area for this type of business. I focused this second article on the reasons why many believed Afflecks should/should not be kept open.

Because of the huge interest in the topic, forums, and comment sections provided useful guidelines on different opinions.

For my multimedia piece, I originally decided that I would do a vox-pop on Afflecks Day using my Nokia 95 mobile phone, but very few people were comfortable being recorded. Instead, I decided on creating a slideshow, using images from Flickr using Creative commons, images from the Facebook group “Save Afflecks Palace” and from the M.E.N’s news page. To make sure the images weren’t standing alone, I included a voice-over which I recorded using my phone, and blue-toothed it to the computer. I was then able to incorporate the images and audio together on Windows Movie Maker. The video summarises how the building had been in the news over the past year – in effect, it is a timeline of news. I researched this through Metro News articles, Manchester Evenings News article and BBC articles.

Uploading the assignment to Blogger I felt was particularly helpful, as I was able to view what the stories would look like on the web, as well as add labels for others to search for tags. I felt that using Blogger through the module has helped my research for this assignment. Although previously, I had my own blog so was capable of managing entries, I had not considered blogs as a point for research. Forums and social networking sites were helpful for this story, and blogs even more so. Because of this interactivity available, hundreds of comments were made, allowing anyone to have your say. This enabled me to gather an incredibly broad range of opinions and information.

Overall, I am pleased with the end product, but I was disappointed that there was no-one available for comment in regards to The Coliseum for my second article. I felt, an interview with a representative or previous employee would really help in the comparison between why this shopping area was closed, and why Afflecks was not. I rang up a couple of the numbers from The Directory I found, but it would appear these numbers have now changed as they are quite dated.I am pleased with the slideshow I created and hoped to find the majority of images on Flickr, but they were incredibly difficult to find to fit with my audio. I would have liked to take pictures showing how empty the hallways of Afflecks now were, but because when I went, there were events in these spaces, this was unfortunately not possible.

Don't Drink and Drive.......Obviously

A Health Tech Blog has this week posted a new entry entitled “Drinking and Driving & Not a Good Match.”

Good point. But didn’t we already know that? It appears that no would be the answer.

The short piece compares the tolerance level of different countries, and how much alcohol a person is allowed in their system, before they are considered to be drink-driving.

And the results were quite shocking. The blog states that 1 in 3 car accidents in the USA are alcohol related, and with similar laws in regard to drink-driving here in the UK, we can only assume the statistics are similar here too.

It is therefore important to ask ourselves, do we really know how much we are drinking? There are websites available which tells you how many units are in which drinks and home breathalyzers are popular amongst novelty Christmas gifts only to be never used.

However helpful these tools may be, they are sadly, infrequently used.

How many people are actually aware how a drink will affect them, until the deed is done? A person can drink ten pints and be “fine” one night, but have two pints another, and be on the floor in a pool of vomit. Factors such as health, how much you have eaten, and what you’re drinking can determine exactly how you feel after a drink, and arguably, not many would want to drink when they are completely smashed anyway.

But the most shocking and real point, comes from the fact that, many convince themselves they haven’t actually had that much.

The blog states: “Some countries have a so called zero tolerance (Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia), which for the drivers means trouble with law if any alcohol is detected regardless of the amount. This brings "legal security" in a sense that it is undisputable one is not allowed to have been drinking at all before operating a vehicle. Some countries allow some alcohol, yet it is often confusing as to how much one can actually drink to be within the limits. The highest tolerance is 0.08 % (in the United States, UK, Canada, and Ireland), while other countries have 0.05 or less.”

Perhaps in order to really tackle the problem, we could take an example from Hungary, Romanic etc. Or perhaps, not driving to the pub would be an easier solution?

In a society of “binge drinkers”, it is terrifying to know, that more than half of youths drive to their night on the town, creating an even larger temptation to drive home. The blog, which at first appears to be stating the obvious, has actually done a good job in resurfacing a very good point which needs re-instating more often than we think.

The supporting video (shown below) with statistics, emotional music, and images of car crashed due to alcohol, are enough to put anyone off their chardonnay.