As a shopkeeper conversations are a big part of our daily life, and always a privilege. But it can be tricky when you hear opinions that you don’t agree with. You never want to offend someone, but it’s also hard to be seen to be agreeing with their position if you don’t.
The case in point was a lady telling me that Chichester was really struggling as a city and that the high street was essentially dying. She was telling me this after our busiest Saturday of the year so far. So…I begged to differ and explained that actually from where I stood, in my little shop on North Street, things felt very different.
Regardless of the news, the economic forecast and all the other negative forces in play I feel optimistic for my business, and Chichester as a whole.
This is not to deny that trading is hard – the economic headwinds are not easy and I know many small businesses are struggling – but I genuinely believe that being based in Chichester gives a huge advantage over many other locations. We have the best cultural stakeholders in Chichester Festival Theatre, Pallant House Gallery and Chichester Cathedral. I know these institutions are regularly the cause of people travelling to the city and then setting foot into our shop. We also have beautiful architecture, and a strong retail and tourist offering. Who could resist the countryside, harbour and beaches on our doorstep?
I would love those of you reading this to take some of that optimism with you into your conversations to counteract the ever-creeping doom and gloom. It’s really important not to feed the negativity which can grow so easily. We have so much to be proud of, and we need to shout about it more so that businesses who would be an asset to the city want to set up shop here too.
Time might prove me to be wildly naive – but we have to stay hopeful, work hard and send out the joy and positivity where we can! Life is way more fun that way!