18th June 2025

New life on Bishy Road

We’re pleased to welcome some new traders on Bishy Road, both of which carry on a strong tradition of female independent shopkeepers locally.

Next to Simone Focarelli’s shoe and leather restoration shop on the corner of Vine Street, we now have Easy Street, selling skateboard decks and clothing, where there was previously a beautician. Ruth Thomlinson opened her shop here in November 2024, with three teenage skaters in the family. In addition to the key theme of skateboarding, it stocks a surprisingly wide array of gifts by independent local artists and fair trade goods from across the world, great for presents. There's also a striking graffiti ceiling by York-based artist, Mista Scribble. Ruth said "Rowntree Park is a key key venue for skateboarders and now that this sport is part of the Olympics there has been increased interest. We're particularly keen to encourage girls to take it up."

The shop next to Sainsburys in Bishopthorpe Road, which has been empty since 2022, is now a new home for Flori, who’ve moved their bakery café from the corner of Nunmill Street. Flori is a small-batch, organic, Scandinavian-style neighbourhood bakery, specialising in delicious pastries, and serving coffee too.

After starting in Spark in Piccadilly, then relocating to Walmgate, Lottie Rodgers opened Flori in Nunnery Lane in 2021, attracting regular early morning queues. In 2024 she moved the café to Nunmill Street, while retaining part of the baking process in Nunnery Lane.

Those premises on Bishy Road are quite historic. People will remember the hair salon of Glen Jackson and Julio Garcia, here for over 40 years. Their windows displayed many national and international awards, and they represented Great Britain in the World Hairdressing Championships for seven years. They even took part in a Hollywood film, Blow Dry, featuring Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson and Warren Clarke, released in 2001.

But before Glen and Julio this was a butcher’s shop for many years, and it retains some of its Victorian features and original fixtures. The house and shop were advertised in the York Herald to let to butchers in 1883, and by 1895 the butcher was Charles Henry Clough, who traded here until his death in 1927, after which his wife Elizabeth Mabel took over until her death in 1932. Leonard Hawkswell then had the shop for forty years until 1974, when Mr Abbey had it briefly.

Local residents have told us some of their memories of the butchers. One told us a sad tale from around 1960, of going to the butcher to collect her mum’s meat order. She put the joint in her saddle bag and cycled home up the hill to Norfolk Street. When she arrived home the joint had disappeared, it must have bounced out of her saddle bag when she went over a bump. She went back to look for it but found no trace, and got into trouble for that.

Glen and Julio retired, then in 2015 the hair salon became Bare, with Ellie McManaman, selling organic clothing for small children. In 2019 Ellie joined forces with Gaynor Parr-Manley (from Olive’s Nest in Scarcroft Road), to open Noun here, selling gifts for children and adults as well as homeware and clothing. This shop closed in 2022.