Nerves, hope and apprehension...
LIFE ON A WELSH HIGH STREET AS TRADERS PREPARE FOR CHRISTMAS
ALL the usual trappings of the festive season have arrived on high streets up and down Wales, from Christmas lights being put up to decorations in shop windows.
With the big day fast approaching, the next few weeks will be the busiest for many businesses across the country.
But this year, as it was last year, things are a little different.
Traders on Cowbridge’s high street, with the festive period weeks away and Wales entering its third and final week before the review, have described nerves, optimism and apprehension over another lockdown.
A few weeks ago, First Minister Mark Drakeford warned that unless rates fall in the next three weeks, restrictions will be brought back in the next review on November 19.
Jack Farrington has owned the Elephant & Bun Delicatessen alongside his family for 10 years.
“For me, if [Mark Drakeford] was to put us into lockdown, I would prefer if he said now we are going to lock down,” Jack said.
“That would mean that I wouldn’t have to waste any food.
“I wouldn’t have to buy or order a load of fresh produce for someone who thinks they’ll get a party of 10 on Christmas Day, and then on Christmas Eve they turn around and say there will only be four.
“Last year on Christmas Eve, the phone was off the hook ringing with people telling us they didn’t want this or that anymore.
“I was gutted and frustrated – not necessarily for myself, but for the families that were so looking forward to being with each other after a year of lockdown.”
Christmas 2020 was a hard time for many businesses.
But despite the evident challenges, Jack’s deli has grown from strength to strength during the pandemic.
He believes it is down to the market town’s close-knit community.
“It’s just a one-mile long high street where every shop owner knows the other shop owner,” he explained.
“Everyone supports each other and shops locally as much as they can, which is absolutely amazing. They’ll come in here for their lunch or their coffee, for a natter or a good chat, for a moan or for peace and quiet.
“We have a good loyal clientele base and that’s actually built over lockdown. Probably just from people having to stay locally during the five-mile radius rule, having to shop locally and eventually choosing to be hyper-local.
“A lot of people from Cowbridge didn’t even want to go to nearby Bridgend or Culverhouse Cross to shop because it was outside their five miles, so they were looking more to their own high street.
“We picked up quite a lot of different clientele that would never usually use us. There’s a few people that lived in Cowbridge for 10 years or so and didn’t even know there was a deli on the high street.
“Our lunch time trade has picked up massively – we just used to do probably six to 10 rolls a day, and now we are doing around 30 to 40 rolls.
“Lockdown made people appreciate what they have on their doorstep a lot more.”
Meanwhile, Simon of Cowbridge Cycle Centre said lockdown has made people appreciate the outdoors.
Throughout lockdown, old bikes were dusted off in garages and sales of new bikes surged.
But Simon, who has owned his beloved bike shop for 36 years, admits the demand for his supplies had been overwhelming at times.
“There were lots of people looking to buy new bicycles and lots of people phoning up,” he said.
“On one particular day, I had 73 calls. In that situation, you just can’t work, it becomes almost impossible to physically work.
“They were just coming from everywhere and I obviously couldn’t sell them a bicycle because I didn’t have any either.”
Despite experiencing a bicycle boom, a Christmas boom is a different story for Simon’s shop.
The owner said: “Christmas used to be fantastic. It was really good, we’d sell a lot of bicycles – they were considered the expensive presents.
“But now, it’s completely changed, parents don’t take their kids out in the winter. Electronics have now taken over bikes as the main presents – kids now get Xboxes, PlayStations or mobile phones.
“There isn’t any Christmas trade. Christmas is always quiet and it doesn’t make much difference to me at all.
“I’ve had to adapt my business over the years and repair more.
“But last Christmas, when it was announced that we were going into lockdown, I was a bit out on a limb because I was considered to be essential, so I was always allowed to open.
“Now, whether that was a good thing
or a bad thing – I have no idea really.
“Because there was nothing – there were no new bicycles last year and you couldn’t get anything.
“The only thing you could get was to sell whatever I happened to have in stock, which was basically nothing. So again, it came down to repairing and selling second hand bicycles.”
Over recent months, supply shortages have affected many businesses across the country.
Sara Langford opened her tea and coffee shop, Cortile Coffee, on the high street six months ago.
The shop sells coffee from Cuba, Colombia, Me x i c o , Nicaragua , Uganda, Z i mb a - bwe and another 40 odd different coffees. For Sara, the supply shortage is gradually becoming apparent.
“There’ve been more delays than normal with certain things,” Sara explained.
“There’s been a price increase as well but we’re trying to hold off passing that on at the moment. So we’re going to see how we get on with that as some chains have had issues.
“There are certain things we might’ve had before, but it’s just about planning ahead and thinking ahead really. We have to order way before to get them in time but you know things just come in.”
Despite the supply shortage, the shop is not lacking local support according to Sara.
“It’s been brilliant,” she said.
“At first obviously, we were concerned about the unpredictability, the footfall and the lockdowns. It wasn’t just a matter of testing another area, but opening a shop during Covid and what that presented to us as well.
“We were also concerned about how people would shop and if that had changed. Of course, we have online presence but what we found was that people were returning and that they wanted to return to the shop to actually see the items for themselves.
“I think one thing that lockdown has shown and taught everybody is that shopping local is very important if you want to keep the businesses and people are supporting locals more than ever now.
“People just come in for a chat, come and say h e l l o. Online presence is great but you don’t have that personal experience, that personal touch you get from actually going into the shop.”
Only a stone throw away from Simon’s bike shop in Verity’s Court, Cocoa&Co is gearing up to an increase in footfall.
Easter, Mother’s Day and Christmas are all important events in owner Philippa Tuccy’s calendar and, evidently, she wants to make the most of the latter following last year’s lockdown.
“My only problem at the moment is packaging supplies and a bit with chocolate as well,” she explained.
“I put an order in in August and now it all seems to be coming in dribs and drabs.
“The PVS wrapping film comes from China and my chocolate comes from Belgium.
“I’ve become more aware of ordering in advance, whereas normally up to pre-Covid I could order today and a lot of companies could deliver in 24 hours.
“A lot of companies differ now – it could be a couple of weeks. I’m very aware of it but people are very understanding.
“So if I’m late with something, everyone has been really understanding. I haven’t really failed to get anything in at all, you’ve just got to be more aware of looking in advance.
“Even now, by the end of this month, I’m looking to buy my Easter products to get in stock.”
Philippa has worked at the shop since she was 21 years old, but has owned it for 11 years. Although she feels nervous about the coming weeks ahead, she remains hopeful that she will be able to pull through.
“Last year, the Christmas lockdown was devastating,” she said.
“They closed us down at 6pm on the Saturday before Christmas. But I had people that had ordered things and they had to come and pick them up. So I came into the shop, I had my window open and took payments through the window, so people couldn’t come in.
“I don’t want another lockdown. I think that goes without saying for anyone in business, and I would be very disappointed in another Christmas lockdown.
“But if you sat down and worried about it, you wouldn’t get anywhere and you’ve literally got to take the bull by its horns and do it.
“For next year, I just hope things get back to normal. I hope that we can stay open and people will have more confidence and come in.
“My customers have been so fantastic and so understanding. I’ve had no issues about people not being understanding, and people would say that they would rather come here than a supermarket. They feel safer coming in here.
“It has never crossed my mind to give in – I wouldn’t do that. We’ve been going on for so long and we have a lot of loyal customers.”
At first obviously, we were concerned about the unpredictability, the footfall and the lockdowns. It wasn’t just a matter of testing another area, but opening a shop during Covid and what that presented to us as well
Sara Langford of Cortile Coffee