PEOPLE are travelling from across the country to shop at the Whalley Range shopping district in Blackburn.

With over a hundred stores and shops now taking up the small area the district is seen as the Asian shopping area for the North West of England surpassing the famous Curry Mile in Manchester in terms of variety.

Wilmslow Road – synonymous for restaurants and takeaways has seen a boom in Shisha bars in recent years. Meanwhile, the Whalley Range district has seen a huge rise in the number of designer fashion boutiques and small accessories stores.

On any day of the week the area is bustling with shoppers who are travelling to the region from as far afield as London and Glasgow.

Early evenings the district transforms to a major area for eating out at the small restaurants, takeaways and dessert bars.

One of the newest shops on the block is Pepe’s Piri Piri. Asad Khalil said: “It took us three months to renovate the restaurant and we are delighted with the results.

“We get people from Burnley, Nelson and Preston on a daily basis.”

As well as the new stores some of the traditional shops continue to supply to their loyal customer base.

Penny Profits has taken up the famous Victoria Street and Charlotte Street corner spot since 1982.

Abdul Baqi Javaid, aged 75, set-up the store after taking redundancy from the Mullard’s factory.

“Back then there was only 10 to 12 shops along here this stretch. I think we were the only ones who supplied traditional Asian cooking utensils and homeware.

“You could say it was the first ‘true’ Asian shop in Blackburn.”

Despite the advent of the internet surprisingly the store still manages to stock homeware you are unlikely to find anywhere else.

“It is noticeable how many people from outside from Blackburn actually travel to the town just to visit the shops here.

Mr Javaid added: “The road layout has changed too. It used to be two way and people could park up but the widening of the footpaths has meant there is more space for shoppers but less parking.”

Parking was an issue that resonated with many of the shops.

Asad Khalil added, “Parking is a cause for concern for many businesses. There simply are not enough bays to accommodate the demand.”

Fatima Collections was one of the first fabric shops to open on the stretch. Established by Mohammed Rawat and Fatima Rawat in 1994, the store was renovated in 2002 and stocks a range of loose fabrics from across the world.

“We have noticed how people are travelling to the area from across the country. We have customers travelling from London to shop here.”

A much less conspicuous shop is tucked away amongst the glitzy shop fronts along Victoria Street. Lancashire Dry Cleaners Store was first established in 1972 it was taken over by Osman Chand and family in 1979. Now, his son Maksud manages it, “The area has completely changed over the years and certainly got a lot busier. When we took over the store this was a residential area and now it is unrecognisable.”

The dry cleaners is famous for tackling intricate Asian outfits. “Maybe we are unique in many ways and people do trust us with their expensive outfits. But even we come across things that surprise us!”.