Driving into Salisbury this week I heard on our local radio station that yet another of our Salisbury shops was set to close, it is Nursery Rhyme’s which sell all baby things such as prams and cots. I heard the lady that owns it giving an interview to the radio and putting most of the blame on the local council, saying that the high parking fees within the city center is having the effect of destroying passing trade. Part of me would agree, as I for one think twice now about parking in the center and often go out of town, the other part of me recognize the need for our shop keepers to now be very inventive with their shops. Get people into the shop and keep them there longer, you have a much greater chance of then making a sale, of course the greatest threat to the high street is the Internet. I have many friends who have gone into shops to view and try goods and then headed home and bought from the Internet, which has proved cheaper, which again is down to the fact they do not have the over head costs of running a shop.
I began thinking about a well known website called { Not on the Highstreet} which says it all really, we now need to do a version saying Not on the Net, and I do believe it is possible. With the likes of the baby shop maybe the answer lies in looking past the product you are selling and opening your options much wider, inviting young designers from the local collages to provide goods that you cannot buy on the net, holding coffee mornings with say interior designers or child care professionals present, or even teddy bear lunches for mums and babies, the possibilities are endless. Maybe the lady who owns the shop has tried these things and still found her over heads too high, it is just such a shame to see another business go. Shop keepers you must fight to survive, we want you there. My husband just made a very valid point that by not using the Internet you are limiting your sales, which is very true, I did not say you could not advertise on the net, even have a small catalogue for the net but keeping a lot back for that ever attractive exclusive sale. Well that is just my thoughts. xxx
It is so sad. We used to have a vibrant high street in Godalming, made up of independent shops. Now there are so many empty shops, nobody wants to shop there at all. In our town, parking charges are the main problem, although limited stock availability in small shops cannot compete against internet shopping. I don’t know what the answer is, and neither do the town council. Keep us posted on Salisbury x.