‘I’m not sure we’ll ever get that lovely high street back again’
SHOPKEEPERS SAY PANDEMIC HAS TURNED EASTWOOD INTO A ‘GHOST TOWN’
BUSINESS owners in Eastwood fear the area may never recover from the crippling effects of the pandemic.
Nottingham Road, the town’s high street, is laden with empty shops while others have their shutters down as the country lives through the third national lockdown.
This time around, shopkeepers say the town has taken a hit with many businesses closing and others struggling to make ends meet.
Sam Watson, owner of Watson’s family butchers in Wellington Street, said he sees the local businesses closing in Eastwood and worries that his will be next.
He said: “We’ve had some very busy times particularly during the first lockdown.
“Then things calmed down and there have been some worrying times in this lockdown.
“Just before Christmas, no one had any idea of what was going to happen.
“We didn’t know if we’d need to supply to restaurants or not. It’s the not knowing that’s strange. You’ve got ten businesses near ours and just two of them are open. It’s scary to see the businesses that have closed and you think, when will it be our turn?
“We can’t compete with the supermarkets but our customers have stayed loyal. We know that going to a butcher is a luxury.”
Mr Watson, who only took over the business in September 2018, said it has been “a very strange year”.
But he said: “if we can get through this, we can tackle anything.”
He added: “I don’t think we’ll get anything more challenging than this. It’s the not knowing that’s strange. I’m not sure if we’re ever going to get that lovely high street back.
“There are still people knocking about but the high street used to be crowded. It would be nice to see free parking in car parks so people will come out.”
Ali Aslam, postmaster at Eastwood Post Office in Nottingham Road, described the area as a “ghost town”.
He said: “Our business has been affected a lot, it is dramatically down. If you come after 2pm you won’t see a person outside on the high street.
“I’m open and then you’ve got Iceland and Heron Foods. The footfall is near to none.
“The first lockdown was the worst, we were closing at midday.
“The November lockdown was slightly better. We had just started to recover and now we’re in another lockdown. It’s going to take a few months to recover.
“We used to always have a queue inside but some days there’s nobody here for over an hour.”
Mr Aslam, who has worked at the Post Office for four years, said small businesses are suffering because trade is “their bread and butter”.
He added: “If someone told me a virus would come in 2020 and we wouldn’t have many customers, I wouldn’t believe it. It’s like a movie, the roads are empty.” Ineiran Rasathurai, who works at Eastwood Convenience Store, said: “It’s very quiet at the moment due to Covid-19. “People don’t go out as much, especially because this area has an older population.
“I am hoping that soon things will return to normal. At the moment, after 2pm it is very quiet. “It is not too bad in the early morning, customers come in for their newspaper. But there is no point in being open after 7pm. We are closing earlier than we used
If someone told me a virus would come in 2020 and we wouldn’t have many customers, I wouldn’t believe it.
Ali Aslam
to.”
But shopkeeper Suresh Parameswaran, who works at Bobby’s convenience store, said trade is “getting better every day”.
He added: “I took over the shop in September 2019 and the previous owners said it was doing very well. I think it depends on the area but for us, we aren’t doing big business but things are getting better. After 6pm it is very quiet, people just stay at home.
“They are being more careful. People don’t have enough money and it is not easy for them at the moment.”