Shopping & The Arts

For many in the present day, Hockley’s identity is that o a shopping area. For example, Jesse Boot’s original shops were based in various locations from Goose Gate to Pelham Street. As the space evolved into a more alternative space, the shops in the area began to focus on cultivating an alternative art culture, through vintage shopping (Wild Clothing), new age practices and niche jewellery (Ice Nine). Fashion quickly played a significant role in Hockley, and this role continued to evolve and expand to the present day.

Between 1970s-1980s, there was a rise in the Arts in the area, from the Midland Group to Mushroom Bookshops. As the cheaper rents of Drury Hill were destroyed in the 1960s, the footfall and rent in Sneinton lead to the an art movement into Hockley. It is now known to be heavily associated with the subculture and the Arts, which has led to Hockley being described as the ‘Soho of Nottingham’.