The Death of the Highstreet

words by: Rhianna Hurren-Myers & Rebecca Astill design by: Alessio Philip Grain

The “death of the high-street” has long been discussed as the inevitable result of the ease of online shopping. In interviews with three of Cardiff’s best independent shops, Quench Features unpacks the true implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on our shops, and the unaffordable costs associated with losing six months worth of business.

A vintage and reworked clothing company

31 Royal Arcade, Cardiff CF10 1AE

Interview with: Paige Hughes, Manager of the Cardiff store

How did you cope with reopening the shop following national lockdown, and what changes have you made to ensure your staff and customers are as safe as possible? It was surprisingly easier to cope with than I thought it was going to be. I personally thought that we would get no customers in whatsoever, but it was, if anything, busier than we were beforehand which was nice. We didn’t have to make too many changes, but we are following government guidelines. We have added a one-way system to the store, and tape to separate the distance of two metres. We’ve got hand sanitiser for our staff and our customers, our staff have masks and gloves, and we’ve got more cleaning products as well. Have you changed any of your marketing methods, and how is Sobeys coping with more people shopping online during the pandemic? We have been posting a little bit more on socials just to let people know that we are still here. Online shopping hasn’t been hugely affected. As we’re vintage fashion, people really want to see what they’re buying in person. So in that sense we still get a lot of people coming into the store to see what we have to offer. Our Depop is now up and running again, so that’s quite helpful! [@ sobeysvintage] Do you think the high street still has a place in today’s world? I do, yeah. I don’t think anything can really compare to physically going shopping. It is definitely convenient to shop online, but it is just not as fun as going into a store and having a little look around in person. A sustainability-focused plant and retail shop, and vegetarian cafe

213 City Rd, Cardiff CF24 3JD

Interview with: Stephen Peckham, Owner

How did you cope with reopening the shop following national lockdown, and what changes have you made to ensure your staff and customers are as safe as possible? My lockdown experience was actually three months of refurbishing the whole shop, trying to create a community hub for when people could leave their house again. It was quite scary launching at this time and not really knowing whether it was going to be worth it, but we’ve been busy every week which is amazing. We’re sticking to the rules, so indoors we only allow people from the same household. We’re wearing masks inside, unless you’re sat down eating or having a drink. Sanitiser is also around the space, and we do track and trace. We’ve just started to open in the evenings, so for students in a shared household you can come here for some drinks or to buy plants up until 8 o’clock, Thursday to Saturday. How are you coping with marketing during the pandemic? Do you have any form of online shop? My Instagram following was already pretty good after two years, but then with COVID-19 I think things just seemed to be under a microscope. Just the fact that I was doing something seemed to garner a lot more followers, and really helped to market the business to people who would benefit from it. We don’t have an online shop, because I think the beauty is going out and seeing the plants and having someone guide you through how to look after them as well. I also think in terms of sustainability and carbon footprint, it goes against our ethos if we start putting loads of cardboard and plastic into the environment.

photograph by: Alessio Philip Grain

Do you think the high street still has a place in today’s world? Yes, but it’s a tough one. I can see why you would shop online rather than go out to purchase, especially in this climate where people are less inclined to go out to public spaces because of their own safety concerns. I think what we’ve seen in Cardiff is that there has been a real push to support independents, and a lot of independents have done better during the crisis which is really fascinating. I think people have realised that those are the spaces that we want to keep alive because they prevent the city from being homogeneous, or just like any other city in the UK or Europe. So I think it’s going to be tough for everyone, but hopefully with this surge of support for independents we can survive.

A small group of cafe/kitchens across the city

1 Central Square, CF10 1FS; Eastern Business Park, St. Mellons, CF3 5EA

Interview with: Tim Corrigan, Owner

How did you cope with reopening the shop following national lockdown? Have you made any further changes now that Cardiff has moved into local lockdown? Coping with reopening was more about putting the people that we see on a daily basis at ease. People’s confidence had been shattered - they’d been stuck in their houses and homes for months on end. It wasn’t necessarily about us and the business, as we’ve been looked after by the government and we were okay. It was about showing our customers that they could sit and relax and have a cup of coffee and some food in a safe environment. Collectively, we need to do what’s right and that involves keeping away from each other, washing our hands, sanitising surfaces and one-way systems. It comes down to confidence in our industry, so that people can use us and other independents and feel safe. How are you coping with people shopping or ordering online during the pandemic - do you have any form of online shop? We chose not to use Deliveroo, Uber Eats or even open during the pandemic because I just didn’t want to put my staff at risk. Some businesses did really well out of it, but for others it was a lot of pressure on top of dealing with COVID. Although, we have just signed up for Indie Eats and we now deliver within a mile of the city centre. Do you think the high street still has a place in today’s world? I do, I just feel that the hospitality sector is struggling. I feel that customers have become quite numb to bad business, which ultimately doesn’t really allow for smaller, stronger independent businesses to grow. That’s the problem - on most high streets now, the shops are boarded up. But why are they boarded up? For me, our high street is not particularly interesting. Cardiff has some amazing arcades; I think at the moment that’s what holds Cardiff up really. It’s really easy to point the blame at landlords and councils and people like that, but we could do so many more interesting things with our high streets.