An exciting new project is being proposed for Blackpool town centre, aimed at transforming a once-derelict building into a vibrant art gallery and bar.
It will also include a two-floor gaming arcade featuring both vintage and ultra modern games, topped by an atmospheric roof garden and kitchen.
Stephen Pierre, founder of the current Galleon bar on Abingdon Street, envisages the new venue as being similar to the NQ 64 bar found in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
The proposed new destination is being earmarked for the former Brighthouse store, also on Abingdon Street. which he bought at auction for a knock-down £200,000.
The rat-infested property needed emergency action from Blackpool Council to clear it out, and has already been radically restored, ready for a new chapter.
Stephen, 54, who set up the Galleon 16 years ago after the original basement bar on Adelaide Street ws bulldozed, is hoping the new project will be at the start of a broader cultural scene in Blackpool.
He said: “A key thing that is happening in Blackpool is the imminent opening of the Multiversity in 2027, when 3,000 students will be right in the town centre.
“This will be a major transformation and will have a knock-on effects for shops, bars, restaurants and the local arts scene.
“It will create a wider demographic and they will be looking for different kinds of places to meet and hang out, “
There is no chosen name for the downstairs gallery yet – suggested names have included Utopia Art Gallery.
But the aim is to call the upstairs element the Hidden Quest Arcade Bar.
Stephen says the aim of the ground floor gallery is to offer free, or pepper-corn rent space, to local artists wishing to display their work, be it painters, photographers or sculptors.
The plans will factor in full disability access so no one is excluded, including a lift to the upper floors.
Joining him in the gallery side of the project are local artists Robin Ross and Andre Arenko., while the architectural work is being handled by Fylde coast-based Joseph Boniface.
The galley is expected to open first, followed by the arcades and bar, possibly within the next tw years.
Stephen, whose Galleon bar already offers an alternative scene in Blackpool, adds: “The new place will need a licensing application and possibly a planning application, as well as all the physical work, so it’s too early to put an exact date to things yet. Hopefully it can be ready to open by 2028, if everything works out.
“As a Blackpool person who grew up here, I love the town and I feel there are even better things to come.”
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