Islanders are being urged to ‘say hello to your high street’ as part of the Isle of Wight’s Let’s Buy Local campaign. On Monday 5th October, an initiative will be launched encouraging us to ‘explore our stores’, starting with a focus on the county town of Newport.
A ‘Let’s Buy Local’ page has been set up on Facebook, which will introduce followers to the people behind the businesses and highlight some of the hidden gems on our high streets. There will be competitions and giveaways over the next 8 weeks, including free chocolate from Cowes-based chocolatier ChocAlicious.
Graham Biss from Natural Enterprise, the charity coordinating the campaign said:
“Visitors from the mainland often comment on how lucky we are to have so many interesting shops.
“The Island has an exciting range of independent shops, so if you think you know Newport, think again! You can find so many things that you wouldn’t expect from a traditional market town, such as state of the art running shoes and vegan cakes.”
High streets around the country have been badly hit by Coronavirus but the Island’s businesses quickly found ways to respond to the crisis. Many shops now offer free or subsidised delivery, online ordering, and the opportunity to book appointments out of hours so you can browse without other customers being in the store. Island shops have also been made COVID-safe, with a range of practical solutions that still make shopping a fun and interactive experience.
Jo Randall from Love Running said:
“As we approach Christmas, it’s the perfect time to see what’s on your doorstep, shop safely and support your local towns.”
“Your local shopkeepers have a huge amount of knowledge, and passion for their products, so give them the chance to show what they can offer. Plus when you shop locally, 63p in every pound stays in the local economy. So let’s buy local and support our Island!”
To find out more, go to letsbuylocal.org.uk or visit www.facebook.com/letsbuylocaliw
I suggest the first thing they do is to get the council to support the local high street by making car parking free for the next 12 months otherwise the local high street doesn’t stand a chance against those such as Amazon..
I very much commend the efforts to rejuvenate the ‘High Street’ & really do hope it is rewarded by achieving the key objective. However, sadly, I do not share the same optimistic appraisal of the situation as described.
There really is no point in shopkeepers having a ‘wealth of knowledge about their products’ when people can’t park for a reasonable price to find out. If I want a pair of state of the art running shoes, I would head online and go to a named brand shop instead of some independent shop in Newport, and prices online may also be cheaper too. Shame is, I won’t be the only one to do this. The Council really need to sort the parking issue out first in all towns on the Island, instead of just getting easy money from motorists (potential customers in these shops)
Newport high street is a terrible place to shop, pavement far to narrow especially having to dodge around plant pots and cars. Look at most civilised towns that have pedestrianisation, their high streets are doing well whereas Newport is dead.
I hope they succeed but there is absolutely no joy in shopping these days. Wearing of the masks, glasses steam up, trying to avoid people on the pavements and remembering to do all this while in a shop means that it is not pleasant. I certainly don’t want to go ‘browsing’ . A real shame for the shopkeepers though