Books on the Hill in St Albans.
- Credit: Matt Adams
The next phase in the government s roadmap out of lockdown will see the re-opening of non-essential shops for the first time in months.
From next Monday, April 12, we will once again be able to visit bookshops and boutiques, gift shops and game shops, and have actual face-to-face conversations with real life retailers.
Ahead of their grand re-openings, we spoke to some of the city s independents to find out how they feel about welcoming customers back into their stores.
The Dressing Room in St Albans High Street.
- Credit: Matt Adams
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.