20-21.qxp_Grid 28/07/2023 16:01 Page 2
OVER THE
COUNTER
BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.
A Tale Of
In his classic novel, Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens compared life in Paris and London during the Revolution. The novel, although not the easiest to read, details what happens when the rich oppress the poor and the book deals with themes such as selfsacrifice, resurrection, hope and death. Now this month’s column is not going to be quite on that level. After all greeting cards are not quite life and death, though they do cover both events! In fact in the headline, I mention three cities (instead of Dickens’ two), the reason being that in the last month I have spent time in Edinburgh, London and Gothenburg. The reason for each visit being to follow the greatest storytelling musician of our time, Bruce Springsteen.
Three Cities ,“Why do you need to see him so many times?” is the question my Mum often asks, and only true fans will understand the need to see multiple shows. His current tour has a theme where Bruce speaks very openly about being the only remaining member of his first band and the struggle with mortality that we all face. Some have felt that this is an indication it may be his last tour, but I don’t think that is the case.
Getting older, losing those close to you and realising that life is in actual fact very short is something that hits people at different times in their life. This is where maybe Bruce is. With my young lad Hudson turning one you often think about when he will be 20 I will be…old! It’s a natural human thing. As my 50th year approaches in 2024 you find yourself casting a retrospective look over your shoulder and wondering what type of legacy that you will leave. My mum too is getting older and is talking about retiring which would change the dynamic in our business a lot. Life of course never stays the same. 20 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Left: David Robertson goes one better than Dickens with his recent Springsteen tour. Below left: Edinburgh’s Victoria Street in the Old Town has to be one of the most photographed locations in the city. Bottom: The Boss in action in Hyde Park last month.
I spoke to retailers at the recent Harrogate show who are now going fully online and in recent months have watched others close businesses that they simply couldn’t sell. Some people are flying, some people are struggling, but as I always say I admire everyone who generates their own pennies as quite simply no one really knows how difficult running your own business is until you do it. We all get very wrapped up in our own little worlds, but in reality they are shops and businesses that will not survive past us running them. Our Pozzi’s building will hopefully continue as it is now over 115 years old but who knows? Being the driver of your own wealth with your own business these last three years more than ever before have tested us in lots of different ways. The pandemic changed so many things, perhaps none more so than footfall. Each of the aforementioned cities above did not appear to struggle on this front. London is always so busy, Edinburgh has rebounded with an influx of tourists and Gothenburg too was exceptionally bustling, but are these cities typical of the rest of our towns? I would argue strongly that retail trade in the three cities is not typical of what we indies experience. Most of us can’t afford to