IT HAS been almost three weeks since hundreds of shops, pubs and cafes reopened their doors for their first time this year – but many business owners say they are still facing an uncertain future.
On April 12, hairdressers, pubs and gyms reopened, and non-essential retailers were once again allowed to welcome customers through their doors.
Big chains such as Primark and TKMaxx enjoyed booming sales during the first week of reopening, but many smaller, independent businesses in Brighton are still waiting for the post-lockdown surge.
Grahame Ross, owner of stationary shop Pen to Paper in Sydney Street, took over the business just six months before lockdown.
He said while the streets have been busy, this does not always translate to footfall through the shop.
Grahame told The Argus: “It’s been relatively quiet. The streets are busy but obviously we have to restrict people coming into the shop and that has had a massive effect on the number of people who come in to buy.
“The other thing is that the cafes normally bring people down to the street, but with the service being outdoor only, the minute we have rain it impacts us a lot. We have had some dips as it were.
“This shop can be either feast or famine. There is either 20 people in or there is no one in.
“It’s that sort of shop that you can’t keep a steady stream of people coming in.”
Izzy England, manager of Get Cutie, a clothing store in Kensington Gardens, said sales have been helped along by day-trippers from London visiting the city.
She said: “We are noticing a lot of out of towners, but apart from that it’s a bit up and down.
“I think we will be in for a good summer because people are going to be doing a lot of British holidays, and with Brighton being such a great destination for that, I am hoping we will see that reflected in sales.
“I think the stores in Kensington Gardens are doing quite well and with the weather, people are very much in a browsing mood, but it still hasn’t picked up to the level things were pre-Covid.”
Chris Stillwell, manager of Tulasi gift shop in Prince Albert Street, said he too was looking forward to a busy summer of tourism after noticing a change in the atmosphere of the high street after lockdown.
He said: “The first couple of days people were just really keen to get going with the new excitement of it but it has been quieter and not so busy.
“Of course, we can’t have so many people in the shop so it’s not as it was, and the spirit isn’t as it was, but you have to make the most of the situation and do the best you can and take it a day at a time.
“Certainly, as the weather gets going, we are hoping things will get better.”
Tattoo and piercing services were also allowed to restart on April 12.
Emily Vosper, front of house staff at Punktured Piercing Studio in Gardner Street, says the business has been overwhelmed with enquires as people rush to get new piercings in time for summer.
She said: “We are quite fully booked around a week or so in advance at the moment, but obviously there are restrictions on how many members of staff we can have in.
“People have been missing getting piercings during lockdown and it’s something they want to treat themselves with now that they can.
“It’s good news because it means the shop is going to survive.”
But unfortunately for some businesses, consecutive lockdown has meant shops have had to close permanently, contributing to an incredibly challenging retail environment.
Linda Johnson, owner of the independent boutique Beretun Designs in Bond Street, has taken the decision to retire after spending 30 years running clothing stores across the country.
While Linda says her decision has not been influenced by the impact of Covid-19, she has noticed that independent shops are closing and being replaced by cafes and restaurants.
She said: “People need to remember that if they don’t support their little local independent, they won’t be here anymore.
“As much as I love the café culture, I don’t go to the high street to look at cafes, I go there to look at shops.”
But Linda believes it is “inevitable” that the high street will recover and independent business will bounce back.
She told The Argus: “It is wrong to say the high street is dead because it absolutely isn’t. We just have to wait for the tourists to come back and then it will be fabulously busy.
“It’s fantastic that we have all this on our doorstep so people just need to remember their small independent shops.”
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