Afflecks: An emporium of eclecticism

Read the interview with Kerry Rooms, who is the Retail Operations Manager at Bruntwood Works, which runs Afflecks. Learn about the wonderful history of this iconic Manchester store which has been the hotspot for finding the most eclectic collection of unique goods. 

Afflecks or Afflecks Palace as it was known, started in 1982. It was the brainchild of James and Elaine Walsh. They wanted to be able to offer new fledgling businesses the opportunity to open up their own space, with low rents. They did a deal with Bruntwood Works on a 25-year tenancy of the building and the rest is history. After the tenancy ended Bruntwood Works officially took over the management of the business under the new name Afflecks. We reopened on 1st April 2008. This year was our 38th Birthday! 

As Retail Operations Manager it is my job to ensure that the building is a safe and secure environment for the businesses to operate in. I look after the lettings, deal with enquiries, sales of merchandise, security and anything and everything in between. My team and I do everything in house, from decorating to hosting annual events like our Halloween Saturday. We are very hands on and love the relationship that we have with our tenants and visitors. 

Afflecks is one of a kind. Our decor is bright, quirky and unusual. Our retailers are all independent traders who had a retail idea and Afflecks managed to help them bring it to life. We support all of our business to flourish and where possible expand. We are not just retail, we are a community or family. 

Afflecks is located at the start of the Northern Quarter in Manchester. We have a prime location, spanning four streets which offer our visitors three entrances. On the outside of the building we have some fantastic mosaics by Mark Kenndy, that depict everything Manchester. We also have our steel Tree of Life that shines when the sun does. 

Afflecks has been here before the current Northern Quarter had developed into what it is today. For us, the location is brilliant. We are now surrounded by a lot of independent businesses and restaurants,  They all help this area create a buzz which is so special. 

I would say that we have a great relationship between Afflecks and our local businesses. We are all proud to be part of Manchester's Northern Quarter which is in the heart of the city. It's great to see that Afflecks has become the indie Northern Quarter shopping hub. 

Discover more of Manchester's culture here