Boston needs you! It's time to help local businesses beat the coronavirus slump

Your needs you. That’s the clear message from civic leaders and businesses as the country begins to come out of lockdown and more shops re-open their doors.

Businesses other than those providing goods and services deemed essential have been shut down since the lockdown started on 23 March.

Now as restrictions are gradually eased, more shops are opening their doors to customers, with Boston Market now up and running properly again, Pescod Square shopping centre set to open fully, and the high street ready to start coming back to life.

Boston’s MP and the borough council say businesses need our support now more than ever, and have urged everyone to try and shop locally whenever they can.

Boston MP Matt Warman said: “Supporting local businesses from restaurants to retailers will be a huge part of our national recover

“Here in Boston and Skegness we are lucky to have great independent retailers that are keen to get back to work to provide the key services we know and love. I would urge everyone to shop locally. Your high street needs YOU!”

He also stressed the importance of continuing to support local papers like the Standard.

“Regional newspapers have a true understanding of our local area. They are vital to informing our people, championing our businesses and celebrating our local successes,” he said.

Deputy leader of Boston Borough Council and portfolio holder for economic development and planning Coun Nigel Welton, said: “The team are working with a range of partners to enable our residents to feel safe and confident in returning to our High Street to support our brilliant local businesses.

“We have seen the way people have valued our small independent traders, such as our butchers, bakers and those food outlets offering a takeaway service.

“Now is the time for us to support our local economy by returning to High Street to shop local and feel secure that we have in place the measures to support them to do so.”

Boston Market re-opened fully last Wednesday – it has had limited stalls selling essential items such as food during lockdown, but is now back with its regular traders on Wednesday and Saturday.

Kristina Willoughby of Boston Council said traders had been great in preparing for the opening in short notice.

She urged people to support local traders. “Many of the traders have not being able to work at all through lockdown as many other businesses and it is key to keep the Market and High Street back they are supported safely,” she said.

“Shop local. Markets are still seen as many by the heart of the community, and Boston Market really needs you to shop local and use it to ensure the traders keep coming back.”

She said the shoppers who had visited have adapted really well. “We would like to thank everyone who has visited the Market for their support and shopping safely attitude,” she added.

As well as regulars, from Wednesday they are starting to open up to pre-booked casuals. Boston Market is giving traders three months half price rent has been approved for traders from 1 June until 31 August. More details about the markets can be found at the Boston Market UK facebook page.

Pescod Square Shopping centre is beginning its phased re-opening of non-essential shops on 15 June.

Centre manager Lisa Dawson said it was important people continued to follow the social distancing guidelines as life returns to the high street.

“It is important that people return back to the town centre, but only if they follow the Government safety advice and guidance, maintaining the 2m social distancing rules.

“I think Covid 19 pandemic has killed cash. Any business that once heavily relied on the intake of cash will have been affected.”

The centre has remained open throughout, with two essential stores Wilkos and Poundland continuing to trade throughout the lockdown, and Lisa expressed thanks to those working in those stores for their ‘amazing’ work.

She said it would be a very different shopping experience going forward.

“Across the retail sector, we have already seen a number of changes in which the shopping experience has been affected,” she said.

“Each individual store will have it’s own procedures in place, but will be following Government guidance and advice.

“All stores will be closely monitoring and controlling the number of shoppers in store at any one time. Contactless payments are encouraged to minimise to contact between customers, staff and store equipment.

“Some stores will be operating one way systems. It is also likely that to control numbers in store, lone shoppers are welcomed with groups dispersed.”

New measures at the centre include an enhanced cleaning regime across the whole site, information posters throughout the centre, restrictions on the number of visitors on site and in queues outside our stores, colleagues wearing PPE, and floor indicators ensuring a 2m distance is maintained

“The safety of our staff, store colleagues and visitors is paramount and wish to reassure everyone that we are following all guidelines and procedures to keep them safe,” said Lisa.

“These are unprecedented times, so we ask all to be patient, vigilant and respectful to others when visiting Pescod Square.”

Des Ellerby, who owns the Magpies Nest Antiques and Collectables Centre in Church Street, Boston, is planning to re-open next Monday.

He says he is grateful for the support he has received from the Government during lockdown, and says it is important people now support local business.

“I feel people should realise the importance of supporting local/small independent business such as myself as we support the local economy by attracting others into our area both from surrounding villages and tourists,” he said.

“Our businesses in turn generate funds to the area in the form of rates which in turn should be used locally to promote and improve our town.”

He was hopeful people will return “to the ‘lets go down the shops’, ‘meet you in the café’ way of life they were used to.

“I hope the last terrible three months will make more residents return to the High Street rather than shop online.

“Shopping in places like my centre the customer can see the actual stock and be assured it is the correct item rather than with the online method of having to return items that were on approval.”

He says although many people will just see him in the centre, he has 17 dealers who operate there.

He is planning social distancing and hygiene measures including sanitisers and signage, and says he believes customers will respect those.

He was confident his customers will return and says he intends trading for the next five years (until retirement), and said he hoped “long live the high street” would be one of everyone’s wishes.

William Studholme, of the Pushchair Expert at Cowbridge, another independent local business, said they had had to quickly adapt to an upsurge in online orders during lockdown.

“Our physical shop was a high proportion of our business turnover and we were initially worried about the impact. We immediately introduced one to one video calls via WhatsApp and google hangout for our customer which proved very popular.”

The shop re-opened last week for one-to-one appointments in-store, he said, adding that it was clear people still want to touch, feel and have products demonstrated.

“These appointments have proved very popular with them being booked until mid-August as we speak. We are doing our best to open as many new appointments as possible as we speak,” he said.

Looking forward, he recognised his business was in a relatively good space. “We are one of the lucky businesses, people will always have babies. The next few months will prove crucial, I guess,” William said.

“Will we get a second wave? I am hopeful things are improving as it is critical for the economy and for jobs that we can move back to some sense of normality as soon as possible.”

Motor retailers were allowed to reopen from last Monday, and Vertu Honda Boston was among those to do so.

Again, there are big changes that have been put in place there, including staff having their temperature taken on arrival, along with many other measures involving interaction with customers.

Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors plc, said: “Across the Group colleagues have been putting significant resource into making sure that our dealerships are safe workplaces, and safe environments for customers.

“We are delighted to be able to welcome customers back to our dealerships, albeit with a different, safe but always professional and friendly way of working.”

Oldrids & Downtown plan to reopen their Wyberton Bridge Downtown Home Supertore next Monday and have also been working hard to ensure staff and customers are protected.

“We have really missed seeing our wonderful customers, never, in our 216-year history, have we been away from them for so long - so we are very excited about the 15th,” said a spokesperson.

“We can’t wait to welcome customers back into our stores and to help them find something they love.”