The tragic story of a local pub that appears to be in its death throes continues today. It marks the final day of tenure for current landlords Paul and Debbie who have tried to make a go of the business for the past 18 months - quite long by recent standards. The skip to the left of the photo is evidence of their imminent departure.
For they are the
tenth set of landlords to have taken on the business this century and the tenth lot to leave. Yet prior to that John and Dot Kirk ran the local hostelry very profitably for nigh on 20 years. So what's gone wrong?
Well as we all know there is a national trend of pub closures due to the fact that more and more people drink at home to avoid the £3 pint, which is fairly common these days, though not quite that at the
Spinners. Also with many more people subscribed to Sky, going to a pub to watch sporting events has become less of a necessity. There are also those who argue that the recent smoking ban has taken a heavy toll as well.
So why is it that some pubs continue to thrive whilst others go to the dogs and seem unable to compete? Well, never having run a pub (although my parents have) I'm not in a position to speak from experience but as a customer and casual observer of the pub in question I do have my own opinion which I will share with you, for what it's worth.
It seems to me that John and Dot had a simple recipe for success which the eleventh landlord would be well advised to emulate (- yes the brewery have found someone new and the pub will re-open shortly after tonights finale).
Quite simply the
Spinners is in the heart of a heavily populated residential community. As such it has a potentially large customer base on its doorstep. John and Dot tapped into this by providing well kept and well stocked ale, alongside a well run and well ordered kitchen that had a good chef and served fine food. People enjoy that and come back for more.
There was a bit more to it than that of course. Whilst Dot managed the food side of the business John ensured that the tap room was equally busy through involvement with mens and womens darts and dominoes teams that were part of the local league and had a football team to boot.
Subsequent landlords have had grandiose ideas about how they could run it better. Live music, which was expensive and unjustifiable on business grounds and drove more people away than it attracted. Attracting a younger clientale, which drove out the bread and butter regulars that every business needs and an inescapably loud jukebox that drowned out conversation, which in my opinion is what most people go out for.
The
Spinners Arms is now a shadow of its former self. On my last visit there some months ago, youths drinking from bottles and with their feet on the seats were bleating out expletives to each other. It was sad, it was also embarrassing and not the place you could take a spouse or girlfriend. There was a menacing air about the place and I certainly didn't feel safe there. Perhaps it's just me or maybe I picked a bad night but I doubt it and never returned.
I don't speak as a business rival or as someone with an axe to grind but as a former customer who would need to see wholescale changes both in the way the place is run and to the clientele before I would spend another penny in there.
I truly hope contestant No. 11 can emulate John and Dot, run a steady ship and keep the place afloat. If not it would be better to put it out of its misery and turn it into a dwelling. Residents on Queen Street have been having a hard time of it with regular visits by the Police to the establishment and they would certainly not miss it were it to go forever.
