A Scarborough street is bucking the recession blues to herald a retail renaissance.

Bar Street – once called Scarborough’s answer to York’s Shambles – has battled against shop closures and falling sales to regain its status as a thriving thoroughfare.

The street recently welcomed new outlets including Guitar Galleries and the Little Fruit Shop to bolster trade alongside more established businesses such as Boddy’s Cafe and Via Herba.

During the height of the credit crunch, the street – home to several privately owned businesses – saw traders move on as profits declined.

However, the area is now beginning to shows signs of financial fruition, a fact testified by Tracy Harrison of the The Little Fruit Shop who said business had been brisk since moving from their long-familiar stall in Westborough in October last year.

Read more at Scarborough Evening News

AN HISTORIC pleasure steamer has been saved after being sold to Scarborough MP Robert Goodwill.

MV Coronia – which helped to evacuate 900 stranded allied troops from the Dunkirk beaches during the Second World War – was impounded and its skipper Tom Machin was threatened with legal action over a dispute relating to an unpaid repair bill.

But, speaking exclusively to the Evening News, Mr Goodwill revealed that he had stepped in a bought the vessel as both an investment and to make sure that it stayed in the town.

The MP said: “I am now the proud owner of all 64 shares in MV Coronia and there is a long-term contract to lease it back to Tom Machin.”

He added that it marked the start of a very good working relationship. “I’ve a great affection for the Coronia – the vessels history and maritime heritage – and I can remember the old Coronia going out from Scarborough when I was a child,” he said.

Read more at Scarborough Evening News