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An independent Blackpool shop owner offering quality baby clothing says it’s been such a bad year of trading she fears the business won’t survive too much longer.
Kelly Wallace, 37, opened Kelly’s Baby Boutique, at 118-120 Church Street, two years ago.
It was a long-cherished dream to open her own shop and at first it did well – but Kelly says it’s tough for small, independent ‘bricks and morter’ shops at the moment.
She believes the tightening grip of online shopping and the ongoing cost of living crisis is making conditions particularly challenging.
Kelly, who set up the shop with her business partner husband, Neil, said: “This shop was always my dream.
“But the last six months have been so tough that once all the overheads are paid, I’ve not been able to make an actual living.
“Things started to slip last November but this year has been even tougher.
“I honestly think that the cost of living has a lot to do with it – people just don’t have the money for the little extras.”
The shop offers unusual baby clothing – “fancy stuff” from Portugal and Spain and hand-crocheted items made by Kelly herself.
She said: “You can’t beat the experience of visiting a real, bricks and mortar shop – the face to face contact, being able to see the items for real, instead of on a screen.
“For me, it is still the best way to shop, but running a high street shop is so tough at the moment.”
Kelly believes it could be make-or-break in the run-up to Christmas.
Kelly says her own experience of running an online business has not proved satisfactory either, although web businesses have fewer overhead costs,.
The businesswoman was speaking just as a new study found that Blackpool offers the most affordable retail space in the UK for businesses.
But whether this is enough to help small independent shops in the town to be able to survive is another question.
Last year saw an average of 14 shop closures per day in the UK due to rising operating costs and high overheads.
As the high street continues to decline, launching a successful retail business has become more challenging than ever.
Both the current Labour Government and its Conservative predecessor have tried to ‘talk up’ the high street and various initiatives have been offered.
Is there a future for bricks and mortar businesses, though, in the face of the cost of living crisis and competition from online shops with much lower overheads?
According to the survey by card experts Capital on Tap, Blackpool offers the most affordable retail space in the UK, with rental costs as low as £0.39 per square foot per month.
But Kelly said: “You still need people through the door, otherwise you just can’t make a living.”
This post was originally published on here
