Nottingham high street has changed a lot over the years with few shops that have stood the test of time let alone remained in business for 43 years. Ice Nine on Goose Gate in Hockley is well known for its silver jewellery, clothing and gifts.
While the current location for Ice Nine is one of the most recognisable shops in the city centre, it originally started across the road in the small premises that is now Curtis and York barbers. The business outgrew the small premises and moved across the road to the two-floor shop in 1989.
Manager Sam Hamling has been with Ice Nine since 1991 and recalls the vibrant alternative scene that existed in Hockley at that time. Many of the shops in the area that existed in the 90s such as Mushroom Books have now been replaced with restaurants and bars.
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She said: "Hockley was pretty vibrant and very lively as you had a few shops around here more than bars or restaurants. You had G-Force over the road which was really alternative along with Void and Wild Clothing. There were a lot more independent shops and, when you looked out the window, it was more like Clumber Street.
"We used to get so busy here on Saturdays that my husband used to have to stand on the door to count people in and out. They would be queued around the corner waiting to come in and you couldn't move inside the shop."
She added: "We had Mushroom Bookshop which brought people in from all over the place along with Hiziki which was a proper old-school health food shop. They had the shop downstairs and then upstairs they had the restaurant which was really nice."
Hockley over the years has changed dramatically although there were points at which it had many empty shops. Standing in one of the most vibrant food and drink scenes in the city centre, it's almost impossible to imagine.
"Over the years, it's gone up and down but at times, it has been almost derelict," Sam recalled. "When Barry McCormack was the owner, he had three shops and did a lot to help the area with changes and improvements. There really were an awful lot of empty shops but they started reopening as bars or restaurants rather than retail units."
When it comes to the shop, the stock is very varied with everything from jewellery to clothing to crystals. Downstairs there is a selection of more 'adult' materials along with a vintage vinyl collection. Ice Nine has become a bit of an institution for its customers over the years.
Sam said: "We have regular return customers that will always come to us but we do try and keep it fresh so we attract the new generation as well. Other shops have said to us that a lot of the footfall around here comes from you which is really nice because then they look at the other places too. I think it's because we are so long established here.
"We are known for our silver and people will come with a ring from 20 years ago. We were one of the first silver importers in the country back in the 1970s when Barry would go to Thailand or Sri Lanka to design and choose it all himself. We had a wholesale business too."
Ice Nine has around ten employees with either full or part-time contracts. It's the friendships that have been built over the years that have made working at the shop so much fun and provided Sam with some of her favourite memories.
She said: "A lot of us have come and gone over the years so friendships have developed here as we've known each other so long. Nottingham Pride is always a good time too and we always make a bit of an occasion of it here."
Sam added: "We've always had fun working here like back in the early '90s. The owner Barry would go next door to Browns Bar and get us jugs of sangria or margaritas so Saturday afternoon we would have a bit of a party. We try to keep it entertaining for ourselves as you are at work most of the time so you may as well enjoy it. But that was certainly the liveliest time."
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