Stores set for reopening day
Retailers across the region are putting the final touches to their preparations before the doors are finally thrown open to customers from Monday.
The announcement from Nicola Sturgeon last week that Scotland was heading further out of lockdown brought excitement for small shops forced to put their faceto-face operations on hold since March.
But it was a bittersweet moment for many retailers, with hopes that they would be able to open from Monday dashed by a cautious approach from the Scottish Government to containing the virus, meaning that they have been forced to wait an extra week for the big reopening.
The Observer spoke to a trio of businesses about their experiences of the pandemic and how they are hoping to cope with the ‘new normal’.
Alison Kilgour has run small fashion boutique Capture in Bridge of Allan’s Henderson Street for almost four years.
She believes one of the biggest challenges for her has been managing a busy work and home life.
Alison said: “I had to empty the shop and bring everything home with me and one of the kids has been kicked out of their bedroom for a stockroom.
“My two children go to Fairview School and the school has been sensational and had Zoom calls with teachers, which means they’ve had a structured day between 8.45am and 3pm but it’s meant a lot of late nights for me working on the business because I’m not able to do that during the day.
“I was lucky in the fact I’ve always been online and so I didn’t have to panic and set up a website.
“Our online sales are up about 15 per cent and people have been shopping online so I’m happy with that.”
At the other end of the scale from Alison’s fledgling business is Europa Music, which has been based at shops in Alloa and Stirling for 45 years and was due to bring up its 25th anniversary at its current spot in Friars Street in May.
Owner Ewen Duncan said: “It’s certainly an anniversary we won’t forget.
“When the shutdown came we were forced to furlough all of the staff, including myself, and although we could’ve done stuff online we really weren’t prepared for it.
“It’s been a case of getting on with doing things that we’ve been trying to get done for years in terms of revamping the shop and hopefully folk will notice the difference when they walk through the door.
“We’ve joined in a platform called Tide Over, which allows people to pay forward for some credit in the shop which they can use when they come in, and there is a definite feeling of excitement from people who are wanting to get out and into the shops they like frequenting.”
One of the biggest areas of concern for local retailers is the impact of the pandemic on the tourism trade, with the number of foreign visitors travelling to the city expected to be minimal due to global travel restrictions.
Craig Morrison, owner of Contempo gift shop in Stirling’s King Street, said: “We sell a lot of Scottish gifts. A big market for us would have been tourists so it will be interesting to see what happens there.
“We are hopeful that we might see a lot of UK tourists later in the year.
“We opened in the middle of the last recession but this has definitely been the toughest time for the business. The not knowing who is coming through the door and not being able to plan is the worst bit.
“But the town was busy earlier in the week and that’s a good sign that there were a lot of people around.”
Our online sales are up about 15% Alison Kilgour