Shop locally!

There seem to have been quite a number of visitors to our little seaside town this week. Some of them have come with a party by coach and others just to have a day out, checking a place for the first time. Many of them are surprised that there’s more than the port, but a bustling main street too. We have lost important shops over the years, most significantly M&S, but also our banks and all but one building society. In spite of that, we still have many independent retailers – a delightful bookshop as well as a labyrinthine secondhand bookshop, a homestyle/giftshop, vintage and antiques as well as places to buy records, cd’s, textiles, yarn, cards, jewellery, fantasy collectables and much more. Let’s not forget our amazing butchers, bakers and greengrocers too. The challenge they all face is from internet shopping, “armchair buying”. That doesn’t help any of our “indies” who might have whole days without a customer. So please go shopping, in person and make life a little easier for those who have to pay rent, rates, utilities and wages 😉