Hale Barns Square in the year 2000

If you go back 25 years to the year 2000, The Square in Hale Barns actually was a square (yes, it was square in shape!). It was the go to location for the local community with a wide range of shops selling a variety of products. The Square in 2000 consisted of many small units which, as a result of the smaller size, had more affordable rents and business rates. The stores were absolutely packed with products, making the most of every square foot. Also, they only required one or two staff each on weekdays, but would often increase to 3 or 4 at weekends depending on the type of store.

One of the most successful shops was The Deli which was owned by the locally famous character David Aka. It was a Jewish Delicatessen selling bagels, bread, cake, salads, fish and much more. There still is a delicatessen today in Hale Barns, but it moved across the road when The Square was redeveloped - as the newer shop units were too large. David Aka employed many teenagers over the years (often Altrincham Grammar School 6th formers) who worked on Sundays to help as it got so busy.

Below are some photos taken in the winter of the Square, with some information about each one.

This first photo is taken from Hale Road. The winter sunny day doesn't make for the best exposure, however it shows the large open space surrounded by about 17 stores.



This second photo is also taken from Hale Road, showing from left to right: Admirals Fish and Chip Shop (really great fish and chips), Reubens Bakery (the best bakery I have ever known - quality bread, bagels, freshly made biscuits, the nicest cakes including cheesecake and something called a chocolate racetrack!), Barclays Bank (with very nice staff), Tandoori Restaurant, Hale Barns Post Office (the Post Office later moved across the road to be run by a very nice man called Dhiresh, but he reported that the owner of the building on Hale Road didn't let him stay when the lease was up for renewal - which is why Hale Barns now has a tanning salon instead of a Post Office), Bradbury (which sold jackets, other outdoor clothing, and fishing equipment), and Co-op supermarket.



Below is the final photo which I managed to find - again it shows the large open space that made the old Square so pleasant. There's no-one sitting out on this cold winter's day, but in warm weather people would buy sweets and drinks from the newsagent, or fish and chips from Admirals, and sit on the benches (which you can see on the raised area towards the centre-right of the photo). To the right of the picture is where an off-licence called Wine Rack used to be (this individual store was reportedly one of the biggest sellers of champagne in the late 90's!), The Deli (David Aka's shop), a coffee shop (which sold bacon butties and cooked breakfasts - it was very popular among tradesmen who stopped off on their way between jobs) and just out of the picture is Hale Barns Greengrocer which sold lots of nice fresh fruit and veg.



Even though retail is challenging today because of competition from the internet, I think Hale Barns did a much better job for the community in the old layout - with many small shop units rather than the few large ones in the new development.

I hope you enjoyed reading about, and possibly reminiscing, about the old Square. If you have any comments or memories we could add to this article, please contact us on:

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