Crafting a community
Just over a year ago, Leah’s Yard reopened its doors following a careful and characterful restoration of an historic heritage building on Cambridge Street. Once home to generations of skilled craftspeople, the Grade II-listed site has been transformed into a thriving space for independent traders and local businesses.
At the heart of the project are James O’Hara and Tom Wolfenden – two long-time champions of the city’s creative and entrepreneurial communities – who set out to reimagine the yard as a vibrant retail and cultural hub in the city centre. unLTD caught up with James to reflect on the journey so far, what it’s taken to bring their vision to life and how a sense of community has become central to Leah’s evolving story.
Alright then – we’re just over one year into it. How’s it feeling?
It’s feeling great! It’s been a joy seeing the building come to life again, and even though it’s only been a year it feels like a beautiful part of the city centre already. More than that, the community within Leah’s Yard has really taken root. All the businesses are so helpful to each other and we’ve seen friendships and collaborations blossom – it’s great to see.
When you first opened the doors, what were you hoping this place would become – and how close do you feel you’ve come to that original vision?
Our aim was always to give a home to great independent businesses right in the heart of the city, and with occupancy rates so high we’ve achieved that aim. Of course, there are always learnings and things to be improved upon, but to have the Sheffield public embrace the yard so warmly has been superb.
Sheffield’s had a bit of a strange relationship with its retail spaces in recent years – lots of potential, lots of challenges. Where do you feel Leah’s fits into that wider picture now?
We sometimes internalise problems in Sheffield; the retail sector is challenging in every city in the UK. Our job of elevating independent businesses is vital to the variety of the city centre offering, alongside the big stores every city wants and needs – it’s not an either/or.
Can you give us a flavour of what you’ve learned this past year – about running a space like this, about the city, or even about yourselves?
I think one thing we’ve learned is that spaces like Leah’s Yard are living and breathing things. The events programme this year has been really important – whether that’s hosting a stage at Crossed Wires, Puppy Love sessions or our Christmas tree unveiling. Keeping the space active and vibrant is essential to maintaining footfall and bringing in new potential customers.
There’s a real mix of businesses here – from craftspeople to food traders, fashion to flowers. How do you go about curating that community, and what makes someone a good fit for Leah’s?
We always try to have a blend of what’s on offer. It would be very easy to turn Leah’s Yard into another food destination, but we want to fight for retailers, bookshops, clothing and the like to have their place alongside the great F&B operators the city now has.
You both bring different backgrounds into this project. How have your experiences – hospitality, events, business strategy – shaped the way Leah’s runs day to day?
Leah’s Yard isn’t just about the things people see on the ground floor; in fact we have more offices and workspace units on the upper floors than we do retailers, and that side of the place is where Tom and Brent are experts – they’re such unique places to work from. On the downstairs, public-facing side of things, the events team and the socials team we’ve brought in do an amazing job of promoting what’s happening in the yard, and we love that the space has become a place for hosting various activities throughout the year.
We’ve heard from some of the traders that having a space like this has changed their business. How important is that sense of platforming and visibility for independents?
It’s huge – and really, it’s why Leah’s Yard exists. It’s great to hear from traders who were in previous locations how moving to Leah’s has improved their businesses. There will, of course, always be challenges across such a broad range of businesses, but those testimonials are wonderful to hear.
What are you most proud of so far?
I think it’s the community and camaraderie we see amongst the businesses. They all understand that helping each other helps them, and they’re so supportive of one another.
There’s been a clear effort to not just restore the space physically, but also breathe new life into it culturally. Why was that important to you, and how do you keep that going as you grow?
Massively important. Renovating Leah’s was designed to give it a new lease of life for the next 150 years. From its history of little mesters sharing workshop spaces, we’ve managed to maintain the heritage of being a home for independent business owners – just in a modern and future-facing context.
Looking ahead – what’s next for Leah’s?
Christmas! This will be our second festive season, and we absolutely love how the place feels around the holidays – a little piece of history and authenticity. It’s really beautiful.
