Interview with Bill - The Green Room - Monday 8th December 2014 - 2.30p.m
Can you please briefly just introduce yourself and your role at the Green Room for us please?
Oh god, I don't have a role here I volunteer!.. erm My name is Bill, I work at the Green Room.
What is the Green Room?
The Green Room is a bar which has been around since the early 2000's, it previously was various other establishments.
..and what do you like most about it being in the Devonshire Quarter area of Sheffield?
I haven't been working in the Devonshire Quarter until around three years ago, er - it's great, it's a really close knit community around here, all independent shops, mostly independent bars - really nice place to be.
Do you have a favourite memory of working here?
I've got lots of memories, but none of them involve working here, erm, but I did used to drink in this place when it was Mr Kites, and Casablanca's after that, erm and then I've obviously been around for a while here before I started working here.
..Favourite memories...that's a good question!
In the time that you have been working in the Devonshire Quarter area, have you noticed it change at all?
It's changed with the whole street drinking and homelessness side, but that's a different story and side to it. Erm, I think (on the demolition plans). As far as I'm concerned, it's not so much the shops that would be going, it's the fact that there would not be independent shops replaced there. If the building needs to be knocked down for fairly structural reasons then fair enough, but if it's just replaced with another...bar, another chain shop, another restaurant, it would just take away the fact that all around here is mostly independents and it's got a reputation for that.
So, is it the independence of the Devonshire Quarter area that you think attracts people?
Yeah, I think it's a great area, I remember when it was first redeveloped, about ten years ago...more than that about fourteen years ago. Before then, again, it was still little shops and bars, but they knocked down a lot of those to build the flats opposite - that was great because it brought all the students and the first big sort of city centre living into Sheffield. Erm, but I think there's enough. We don't need anymore around here, there's about four halls of residence that you can see out the windows here and even behind us they've got a new student flats area, so I don't really see the point in knocking down three old shops to build, I think it's twelve more flats.
Do you think it would affect you, or the customers of the Green Room if the plans for demolition were to go ahead?
I don't think it would affect us directly, I think it would affect the streets. It would particularly affect some of our neighbours where, for example Filibuster and Booth - an antiques store - a lot of people who shop there would also shop in Rare and Racy. We've already lost Sue Callaghan who was the book binding specialist, but erm, the company that is in it's place, Syd & Mallory - is another great little store for boutique clothing and everything. It wouldn't affect us directly, but it would affect them more.
Can you tell us about a bit about the customers that you get in the Green Room?
Very collected (?) customers in the Green Room - we have anyone from magazine editors to...anyone really. From pop stars, all sorts of musicians, very artisty sort of crowd, few professionals come in after work. In the mornings when we're doing the food we get builders in, everyone comes in, and of course, quite a lot of students!
Yeah..so do you think if the Devonshire Quarter area became sort of more commercialised, then it would change that?
Yeah, I think it would. Yeah, I think it's the beginning, it's the thin end of the wedge, and you know..if a lot of other cities were to save areas like this, er to make sure there is still areas of culture, I mean - its called the Devonshire Quarter area for a reason, its like you know they're trying to make it sound arty. It is the thin end of the wedge because if we start getting rid of everything, all the independent places and just having chains, then it may as well be Fargate, which as we know is struggling.
What kind of musicians have you had in?Over the years? Yeah over the years there's been..er quite rich, one of the bars has got quite a history of music. Er, when it was Mr Kite's and Casablanca there was a lot of jazz here, we still have obviously all the live bands, but recently various bands have done live showcases here. The people are sort of well known Sheffield people from Jarvis Cocker to Richard Hawley, people like that, they've all come here - used to remember when I drank in here years ago The Human League used to drink in here, it's always been that kind of bar.
...any funny stories of working here?Haha, no! ..because they all involve things you can't say..I do like that question though!
Thank you very much!
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