Sushi rolls in and music store turns up the volume at Hull’s Paragon Arcade

A Victorian arcade in Hull which “provides a launchpad” for independent traders has embarked on its latest round of recruitment and expansion.

Oishii Ne, an Asian street food restaurant and take-away inspired by the Japanese phrase for “it’s delicious”, is the latest addition to the businesses at Paragon Arcade in Hull.

Meanwhile Out of the Attic, a record shop opened in the arcade in June 2020 by two old school pals, has expanded into a double unit with space to display more records, CDs, DVDs and t-shirts.

Allenby Commercial, who transformed all the units and attracted an array of niche businesses after buying Paragon Arcade in 2017, will soon announce new tenants for the remaining space as part of their plan to keep the offer fresh and fun.

Georgia Allenby, design and marketing manager at Allenby Commercial, said: “Paragon Arcade is all about providing a launchpad for independent local businesses which bring great ideas and fit into the community spirit we have nurtured here.

“We have had some fantastic tenants. Some find their feet and move to bigger premises elsewhere, others expand to larger units here and we have a waiting list of people who want to move in when vacancies arise.”

Tom Would launched Oishii Ne as a pop-up in December 2020. His venues included Paragon Arcade and he “jumped at the chance” of opening his own place with a ground floor counter service and seating upstairs for 22 people.

He said: “We opened in July and it’s been manic. We had a following anyway from our pop-ups and it’s gone up three-fold or more. A lot of people are still finding out about us – people who aren’t on social media and have discovered us in other ways, including by walking through the arcade.

Gary Matfin, co-founder of Out of the Attic, added: “It’s a community down here. Each shop is different and has something unique to offer and often we work together. When Record Store Day comes round we let the other businesses know and our neighbours Milchig sell coffee and cookies to the people in our queue.

“We just outgrew the first shop. We had an upstairs but people didn’t really venture up there so a double unit lets us lay out the stock better and show people what we have got. The plan now is to continue to offer something a bit different, things that you won’t find elsewhere in the city.”