00:00 My name is Bogláka Tóth, I'm a Hungarian artist and I live in Birmingham.
00:07 And me and my friend Gabriela Gavin, who is in the background, she's just setting up for a workshop.
00:14 We've been here in the Great Western Arcade this week, as part of the Birmingham Open Studios, which was last weekend and this weekend, coming up.
00:25 And yeah, it's been a really amazing opportunity for us just to put our artworks out there.
00:33 In the beginning of my career, really, professional career, Gabi is more of an established artist and we were able to participate in the Open Studios
00:45 and then keep the unit open for a really fair price, so yeah, we feel very supported by the Arcade.
00:53 Hi, I'm Paul Froxon, I'm the owner of the Great Western Arcade. We've been selling shoes in the Great Western Arcade for nearly 25 years.
01:03 It's a really nice community, lots of independent retailers and it's a beautiful environment.
01:10 Hi, my name is Lulu and I'm the retail team leader at Miss Macaroon.
01:15 I've been here for about 18 months. Miss Macaroon is a social enterprise company that helps young adults that have barriers into getting into employment.
01:26 We help them with their CVs, with training in the kitchens, with retail experience and we help them with a five year plan to get into employment.
01:38 So we've been at the Great Western Arcade for over 10 years now and it's a lovely, unique arcade with lots of quirky businesses
01:48 which is a real joy to see in this day and age where everything looks very corporate and very samey.
01:55 So it's a fantastic place for lots of unusual little goods and there are other social enterprise companies in here as well.
02:06 Being independent means you probably buy less, so those inflationary pressures are higher.
02:15 The big companies can buy in bulk so they can keep their prices at the old price for longer.
02:21 So that seems to have settled now because my job is to make sure everything is lower than online and my competitors.
02:29 But also what I do is I offer advice so you have to make yourself stand out.
02:36 My job is to get people the right product at the best price and with the right advice.
02:42 So sometimes I say no to certain products because I don't feel they need it but I'll explain to customers.
02:48 So it's offering that special service which differentiates you to online.
02:54 My philosophy here is just to basically break even. As long as I pay the bills, I'm happy.
03:04 Welcome to Lurkey. We are a wine store and wine bar.
03:10 We have been in the Great Western Arcade for 10 years and we offer wines by the glass as well as a huge selection of wines.
03:18 So there is a wine for everyone and a glass of wine for everyone as well as cocktails and draft beers.
03:23 What we love about being here in the Great Western Arcade is that it is a very historical part of Birmingham and as well that there is a community of independence.
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