A restaurant owner is the ‘last man standing’ in this ‘zombie quarter’.
A restaurant owner who says he has spent 12 years battling to keep his business afloat in the centre of Britain’s second largest city says where he works is a “dead area” dominated by empty shops.
Erminio Shahmani opened La Galleria on Ethel Street in Birmingham in 2014 and since then claims the neighbourhood has gone from “bad to worse” as businesses close and delivery cyclists congregate in his doorway. La Galleria is the last surviving restaurant in a corner building that was formerly a Masonic Hall and then a cinema. The restaurant is a stone’s throw from Birmingham’s New Street Station, one of the country’s biggest and busiest rail stations, and has thousands of glowing reviews on Google and TripAdvisor for its food but finds itself in what is being called the city’s ‘Zombie Quarter’ because of its lack of life.
Erminio has worked tirelessly to make his Italian eatery a success, despite an uncertain future in the building that still harbours a poignant time capsule, reports Birmingham Live. He serves Sicilian dishes alongside plates from across Italy, with a pizza oven next to the open kitchen for freshly baked bread and slices.
“My staff are from all over Italy and the chefs are too,” he told Birmingham Live. “It’s a proper, authentic Italian restaurant. Everything is cooked here, you order and it’s all cooked fresh, you can see. Every night I have three chefs, a pizza chef and a porter as well as my waiting team. It’s a real authentic Italian restaurant.”
But who else turns up at La Galleria’s doorstep each evening? Cyclists waiting for takeaway deliveries from other units along New Street.
“Unfortunately the changes we’ve seen have been from bad to worse,” Erminio said. “It used to be a very vibrant road, we had no problems, nothing to worry about. And I’m sorry to say that. You can see now, all the shops are empty, I’m the only one standing and I’ll be here as long as I can.”
Planning permission was granted in 2024 to transform the old building housing his restaurant into a new office and retail spot., meaning there is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over his business: “If you know you’re going to be evicted from your house, you don’t want to be in that house any more. But a house and a restaurant are two different things.”
He added: “We’re the forgotten one. This part of Birmingham should be the best part of Birmingham but it’s the worst part. We’ve got to remain positive. If you want to move forward you can’t let any of those things affect your mindset, but the reality is that the empty shops speak for themselves.”
Colliers, the management company responsible for the building housing La Galleria, declined to comment when approached regarding the vacant units.
“Birmingham City Council should do a little bit more to help us in that respect,” Erminio said.
“In other areas, the shops are full but this area is like a warzone. It’s a dead area. We have beggars, bikers down here. They’re a nightmare. I sympathise with them earning a living, I’m a foreigner in this country even though I’ve been here for 30 years and I’ve had three children.
“But they don’t seem to realise that you can’t sit on someone’s doorstep 24/7. Even though they’re harmless, they’re working hard to earn a living, but it can feel intimidating when you walk past. They can be extremely inconsiderate.”
