Emma Bustamante of Cositas Gifts and Cositas Home.
- Credit: Matt Adams
The sun is shining, people are buzzing and shops and salons have opened today. It feels surreal, and at the cost of sounding shallow, I m a little overwhelmed by the choices suddenly on offer.
The Maltings Shopping Centre in St Albans.
- Credit: Matt Adams
There have been months of looking at tiny things on a screen, guessing what colour they are and how they will fit and then waiting four years only to miss the delivery man because the kettle was louder than his knock.
Social distancing is in place in St Albans city centre shops.
A perspex screen in place at Chloe James Lifestyle.
- Credit: Archant
After months of lockdowns and other pandemic measures, the pressures on our local business owners have not eased, and if anything, they have got worse.
So how are they coping with the current restrictions, and what are they doing to ensure they survive and thrive in the coming months? We spoke to a selection of independent retailers to catch up on what they ve been up to, and find out their plans for the future.
Tere Harrington, from Raindrops on Roses, said: To be honest, things have been tough for us since closing our doors for Lockdown 3.0, and January is always our quietest month, but we’re lucky that we’ve had quite a few online sales, and they’re really picking up now. This period has given us time to work on our website and look for new products for spring and summer.
Expert fears we could end up back at square one if people miss their second dose of the Covid vaccine It’s easy to keep people in the loop with a second dose coming in a couple of weeks, but with it being up to 12, it could fall off people’s radar
16:32, 23 JAN 2021
Updated
Don t miss a thing by getting the latest from the Manchester Evening News sent
direct to your inboxInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Click here
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Black Lives Matter protest in Verulamium Park, St Albans. Picture: Stephanie Belton
- Credit: Archant
By the time we reached May, rumours of an end to the lockdown had become reality, with businesses gearing up to reopen the following month, accompanied by road closures, enforced social distancing and outdoor trading.
The 75th anniversary of VE Day was commemorated in a very different fashion to how had been originally envisioned, with the Big Picnic for Hope, a virtual get-together promoted by St Albans Cathedral, encouraging people to mark the occasion in the safety of their homes and gardens. Professional violinist Leanne