Bishop’s Stortford high street independent business owners on their hopes and fears for 2025
Kate Peacock, who is doing work experience at the Indie, took a tour of the town centre to find out the hopes and fears of some of Bishop’s Stortford’s independent business owners as they look ahead - some with trepidation - to 2025
Disheartened but determined marks the mood of independent retailers in the early weeks of 2025.
Despite another depressing year for the industry, with 170,000 retail jobs reportedly cut in 2024, shops across Bishop’s Stortford town centre remain hopeful that things may start to pick up as the new year takes shape.
“It can’t get any worse, can it?” laughs Victoria Careless, owner of luxury second-hand fashion store Friends Dress Agency in North Street.
Last year was a particularly hard year for Victoria as the over-reliance on online shopping following the Covid pandemic coupled with ongoing cost-of-living price hikes continued to pull customers away from her shop.
“I’m not an essential. Everyone’s been cutting back and haggling with me,” says Victoria.
Worries began to arise for her last February when the after-effects of Christmas had worn off and fewer people were visiting the store.
“February’s that weird, inbetween month where everywhere starts to stock spring clothes, but it’s still too cold to be wearing them,” she explains.
But the lack of customers and rising costs of keeping the shop open were crippling. “I was so stressed during that time, I completely blacked it out.”
This year, she’s refusing to let it get to that point again. “This year, I’m prepared for it,” she says.
Keeping her shop alive is “all about adapting”. Previously, Victoria avoided selling cheaper brands as she focused on stocking designer items at a fraction of their original price.
Now, her store also holds well-known high street brands, like Zara, offering a more affordable option for customers.
This is a familiar story across the town as beloved high street stores have to change their tricks to attract a wider array of consumers.
The Blink gift shop in Florence Walk is one such example as the store has had great success by stocking Jellycat, the cute cuddly toys resembling common items like croissants and avocados.
Karen Hellmers, Blink’s owner, said Jellycat collectibles have been a great boost for her business, particularly throughout the Christmas period, with customers regularly calling up to see what is available.
But adaptation is not quite so simple for everybody. Sally Coleman, who runs Le Donne II shoe shop in Bridge Street, feels that adapting means compromising on quality, which she isn’t willing to do.
“I want to stock high-quality shoes from Italy and France, but people just aren’t buying them,” she says.
“I hear people say, ‘Oh those shoes are so expensive, no wonder her shop’s empty’. But you’re paying for quality here.”
Sally says increases in customs taxes are making it harder to stock the high-end products she loves, making her consider if it’s worth staying open.
“I don’t sleep. I’m seriously thinking of closing if things don’t change,” she admits.
It is no secret that the high street is becoming a less popular place to shop. Slowly but surely, the internet has affirmed itself as a more accessible shopping alternative, drawing greater numbers of customers off pavements and deeper into the webspace.
But in Stortford, shop owners protest that increased parking rates, gridlocked traffic and unending construction work are simply adding to this problem, as such measures deter consumers from heading into town.
Muse, the Bridge Street women’s clothing store, is currently grappling with a particularly noisy neighbour due to the construction of a new TK Maxx store in Jackson Square. The building work is blocking off pedestrian access to the lower half of the street, where Muse is situated.
Jayne Ralph, a manager at the shop, says the number of shoppers visiting in the build-up to Christmas was noticeably fewer than the same period last year. She says they feel “forgotten in this part of town” as the construction continues to push customers away from the shop.
Similar concerns were raised by Carla Marshall, the owner of gifts and interiors shop Carla’s Curios & Creations in Church Street, who is frustrated by the lack of people passing by.
“People just don’t know we’re here. We need more signs or something to draw more people up here,” she says.
Carla is one of many shop owners who has noted how empty the town feels at the moment. Several commented on the fact that Saturdays, typically the busiest shopping day of the week, have become one of the quietest.
Business owners are both irritated and confused by this. Mette Walker, manager of the family-run print and framing shop Art House in Devoils Lane, was among several who voiced such qualms.
“With so many housing developments going on in the town, it still feels empty,” she says.
Mette puts this down to a change in mindset, suggesting that people know they can get similar products online so don’t feel the need to shop in store. But, for her business, getting people in is essential.
“We can’t work online, we offer an in-person service,” says Mette midway through serving a customer who is commissioning a custom-built frame.
“It’ll be a hard year, but we will push through,” she adds with a grin.
Low footfall figures are something the town’s BID (Business Improvement District) is well aware of. The BID trialled pedestrianising North Street last September in the hope of attracting larger crowds to the high street and has also organised markets, fayres and competitions throughout the year to remind residents of the gems hidden within Stortford’s town centre.
While the BID remains hopeful that such measures will improve prospects for independent businesses, some store owners remain frustrated. The road closure wasn’t a popular move for many as proprietors noted many customers stayed away in fear of not being able to easily drive through the streets.
Storm Darragh also meant the annual Christmas Fayre had to move inside Jackson Square, which business owners report was costly for them.
What’s more, the high street is becoming more and more populated by cafes and restaurants, which shop owners argue draws customers away from their stores, rather than bringing new people in. Independent retailers call instead for a greater variety of commerce on the high street to attract bigger crowds.
As efforts to preserve homegrown businesses continue, proprietors in Stortford brace themselves for what the new year may usher in. Though the outlook is often bleak, independent retailers’ devotion to their work and their customers keeps spirits high.
“That buzz I get when someone falls in love with an item is irreplaceable,” says Victoria in her dress shop.
“That’s why I do it. That’s why I’m still here, because I love it.”
Kate Peacock, 24, is doing work experience at the Indie. The Sawbridgeworth resident, who went to Leventhorpe School before attending The Bishop’s Stortford High School for sixth form, is studying for a masters degree in international journalism at City, University of London.