Albany Road is showing evidence of the decline in consumerism in Cardiff. There are several business premises currently up for sale or lease. It is a shame to see this, as Albany Road is a really vibrant street with a couple of great music venues, loads of great restaurants and takeaways as well as several cool indie stores. It is never good to see hints of demise, and it always negatively impacts consumer opinion. However, estate agents, of which there are many along this street, are keen to show that the property market is moving these days, and so are reaching new heights of blatant self-publicity, even if it is ultimately imprudent for all concerned. In more affluent times they would be more likely to be discrete about the properties that they had on their books. These days they can't scream loud enough, and in my opinion, this is to everybody's detriment.
On a positive note, there does appear to be some regeneration in the area. New businesses like Rojo, a creative little independent gift shop at the end of Albany Road where it meets City Road, have started to appear in recent times. The ever-popular Globe live music venue, the largest independent dedicated live music nightspot in Cardiff, has also firmly established itself at the other end of the street in the last couple of years. The Rainbow, a home and garden discount store, has taken up residence in the old Methodist Church on the corner of Albany and Wellfield Road in the last few months, and is already trading well. read more