By Joe McCann
A COMMONLY heard phrase these days is that Bangor’s High Street has had its best days. But increasingly, that phrase is becoming a thing of the past thanks to the efforts of one local mural painter with the help of several Bangor based artists. Johnny Hamilton, better known as Jossiepops, has made a name for himself by painting some of Bangor’s much loved murals which feature famous faces from Bangor as well as well-known figures.
Having done murals of the likes of Liam Neeson, Foy Vance, Colin Bateman and Gerard Butler (which saw a visit from Butler himself to check out the piece) Johnny has helped breathe new life into some of the city’s old walls. Now he is on a mission to help ‘Make Bangor Great Again’ by showcasing how derelict shops can be turned into thriving artist studios and pop-up shops to generate a much needed buzz in the city centre.
Speaking with UUP councillor Craig Blaney after winning Best Creative Initiative at the Bangor Business Awards 2024, Johnny was presented with a unique opportunity to put his mission in action when councillor Blaney mentioned that he and business partner, Wayne Adair, of Papas Mineral Company, had recently acquired an old takeaway on Bangor’s High Street. “They offered me to take it over and turn it into a studio with three months rent and rates free, so I decided to roll up my sleeves,” said Johnny.
“It took a lot of work clearing the place out and turning it into something fit to open to the public but I got there with the help of my family and Trimble Electrical Services who turned the place from a safety hazard into a brightly lit studio.”
Johnny said he jumped at the idea and recommended other landlords in Bangor, who are sitting on empty premises, should follow suit. He described it as a ‘win-win situation’ wherein the landlord can get their shop done up and an artist can get a place to do their work and create, ‘which in turn will draw more people into the city centre and rejuvenate some life back into the streets’.
The newly renovated POPS Place studio is unrecognisable from its former state and was buzzing with customers in to check out Johnny’s work as well as visit Bangor photographer Liane Radcliffe who had been invited to set up a pop-up stall inside the shop for the day.
Johnny showed his most recent work-in-progress, a huge board featuring portaits of legendary Bangor characters Gerry and Julie. Speaking on the piece Johnny said: “Everytime I say I’m working on something new people always come to me and ask me to do a mural of Gerry and Julie. They were very well-loved characters in the town but they did get into a lot of trouble and got arrested on a number of occasions but many people still loved them. Because of this I decided to not do a wall mural but to do a board in my shop.
“Local people, including a group of local kids have already been in to sign the piece, as well as two renowned Bangor artists Colin Davidson and Terry Bradley. Terry Bradley is very well regarded everywhere you go for his brilliant abstract pieces and Colin Davidson is a famous portrait artist who once did a portrait of the Queen.”
Johnny continued: “I feel more creative spaces like this are just what Bangor needs and is crying out for. When I’ve made posts recently on social media about the murals people were really supportive and what I saw was people who were really passionate about Bangor and proud of Bangor but they felt dejected about the way it currently is, with shops boarded up and a dying city centre. I think a lot of people want to support where they’re from but maybe don’t know how and offering up spaces to creatives in a way that’s a win-win for an artist and the landlord also becomes a win-win for Bangor. You end up creating a mini artists village wherein people can come and see the artwork and that in turn creates more people going into other businesses.”
Johnny added the idea was part of his dream to ‘Make Bangor Great Again’. “I really want to help make the city centre a better place for people and be part of a movement that gives people a real pride in where they’re from. There are ways we can all work to rise together to make this a better place where people want to visit.”
Councillor Blaney agreed, saying the way shopping has changed. “We probably won’t ever have the old High Street back, where people went in to go to the butchers and the bakers and then stopped off elsewhere to get some more bits,” he said. “But opening up shops like this is another way to get people coming back into town.Many people have been in here today to look at Johnny and Liane’s work, buy some hoodies, merch or prints and I guarantee those people also stopped off elsewhere for a coffee too.
“Artists and creative spaces are great for city centres and bringing people into town because if they weren’t there, people might go elsewhere or shop online and it has a positive knock-on effect for other businesses too. As a local councillor I’m delighted to be able to do my bit to help the area I serve”
Photographer Liane Radcliffe explained why she was proud to come down and host her stall inside POPS Place and said more landlords should follow suit. “I am so glad to be here today and I wouldn’t be here selling my photographs if it wasn’t for Johnny offering me this space,” she said. “I’m so proud to be supporting his efforts here to create a thriving artistic community and make Bangor Great Again.I recently retired after 30 years as deputy Head of Media at South Eastern Regional College. All day people have been coming in including a great number of former pupils.
“After I retired I began to turn to photography as I was always interested in it and started a wee Facebook page which soon grew into having 42,000 followers,” she added. “Johnny suggested I come here today and display some of my work and it’s brilliant that we all help each other out and give each other tips on how to display our work. I think what Johnny’s doing is absolutely amazing. It really makes me upset to see the way Bangor is at the minute. Using these shuttered up buildings in a positive way and filling them with creatives is a win-win situation and attracts a lot of tourists as well who will want to come down to Bangor for the day.
“I think he’s started something quite innovative here,” she added.
The Jossiepops’ shop is open to visitors and is located at 92 High Street, Bangor.
