Retail Rebirth on Laugavegur: Resilience Chronicles
In these trying times for Laugavegur, Reykjavik's high-profile shopping street, the absence of tourists has led to a declining number of businesses. Yet, amidst the hardships, the spirit of innovation blooms—with resourceful locals seizing opportunities and injecting new life into empty spaces.
One chilly November morning, I find myself at Laugavegur 51, standing before the keys to Munasafn RVK Tool Library. Anna de Matos, its creator, apologizes for the stiff new keys, as she unlocks the doors to the tool library's shiny new home.
The library—Anna's brainchild—provides a platform for borrowing tools and camping gear, now nestled in the tourist-heavy heart of Reykjavik. Previously hidden away in a Grandi basement, the prime location on Laugavegur offers it prime visibility.
The deserted "Til leigu" (For Rent) signs tell the tale of businesses struggling under the pandemic weight on Laugavegur. Last month, city authorities found that some 14 percent of retail properties on the street were vacant, primarily due to the agonizing absence of foreign visitors.
But out of adversity, new ventures emerge. Just like Hjarta Reykjavikur, a design and craft boutique that shifted its focus towards Icelandic people, offering puzzles, and opening a gallery in their store to meet their expanding needs. They successfully expanded during the pandemic, grabbing opportunities where others saw only hardship.
Similarly, Aftur, a designer of recycled clothing, Kron, a shoe store, and Kokka, a culinary equipment specialist all managed to expand during the tourism drought.
Moreover, the creative spirit is alive. Laugavegur hosts various performances, with artists filling the gaps left by the shrinking industry. Reykjavik musician Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld conceived Talið í Tónum, a musical advent calendar event, held in a frozen gift shop. She managed to secure the vacant space, turning it into a pop-up stage for musicians to perform free for the public's enjoyment.
Stimulating innovation in creative ventures amidst the pandemic is also Geoffrey Thor Huntingdon-Williams, manager of Prikið Kaffihús, who runs Sköpum líf í lokun project. His initiative supports projects designed to breathe fresh life into Reykjavik, helping it survive the pandemic onslaught.
While Anna of the Tool Library remains hesitant to affirm the pandemic as a beacon of positive change, there's no denying the stirring of innovation that is pushing Laugavegur to evolve in new, creative ways. Even amidst despair, the spirit of Iceland perseveres, and with it, the heart throbs of its shopping street.
- The tool library, a new addition to Laugavegur, provides a platform for borrowing tools and camping gear, offering a fresh perspective in the midst of declining tourism.
- Amidst the empty stores and dwindling businesses on Laugavegur, innovative ventures such as Hjarta Reykjavikur, Aftur, Kron, and Kokka have managed to expand, adapting to the new circumstances and focusing on the local lifestyle.
- Fashion and beauty, food and drink, home and garden, and books are finding new homes on Laugavegur, as resourceful locals seize empty spaces and inject new life into the high-profile shopping street.
- Using social media and entertainment, performers are filling the gaps left by the shrinking industry, taking advantage of the novel environment to express their creativity and engage with the public.
- In the realm of pop-culture, the music advent calendar event, Talið í Tónum, is a testament to the adaptability of artists, transforming a vacant storefront into a pop-up stage, providing free entertainment for the public.
- Geoffrey Thor Huntingdon-Williams, the manager of Prikið Kaffihús, is stimulating innovation in creative ventures with the Sköpum líf í lokun project, aiming to breathe fresh life into Reykjavik and aid its survival during the pandemic onslaught.
