Ideas to encourage Helensburgh to shop local this winter

With businesses braced for a turbulent period over what is traditionally the busiest time of year for custom, community traders have been discussing ways in which to inspire shoppers to support independent stores.

And despite a cloud of uncertainty hanging over any potential events or plans during the festive season, early brainstorming sessions have already thrown up some intriguing propositions.

Melanie Andrews, who runs Craigard Bakery and Tearoom in Sinclair Street, inspired the initial chat by sharing a post on social media which read: “This December I would like to make Helensburgh an extra special place to shop and live, despite any possible adverse weather and possible restrictions on us all.

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“To this end I am putting together a private group chat for members of our community and business people alike to make that happen.

“We have some big names on board already including the new Morrisons to the town. Please message me if you are interested in making our community here in Helensburgh the happiest throughout all the dark days.”

Melanie told the Advertiser: “I wanted to put something together to try to cheer us all up because I think the next couple of months are going to be pretty doom and gloom. All the local events and festivals have been cancelled so I thought, ‘we need something we can look forward to in December that everyone can benefit from’.

“It’s kind of at the embryonic stage just now but we want to do something that is unusual, like midnight openings, fire throwers going through the town and decorating shop windows, just something different that will keep people’s focus on positive things.

“We plan to run a weekly calendar in the Advertiser listing all of the events that will be taking place and when. If you don’t particularly like one thing, then there will be other things on other days for you.”

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Melanie’s post was welcomed by several local crafters and independent outlets, including Linda Browning, store manager at recently-refurbished Paper Kisses of Helensburgh, which replaced Hallmark in Sinclair Street.

She said: “I think Melanie’s initiative is a fantastic and fresh idea, and the support from the local traders straight off says to me that a lot of people feel the same. We’ve all had a rough year and sadly not everyone’s business has survived.

“I think it would be naive to say any one of us isn’t worried about what lies ahead. But that is what makes this idea not only brilliant for the traders, but also the customers, who, I’ve found, would much prefer to shop local during these tough times.

“At Paper Kisses, we are fortunate enough that seasonal times such as Christmas are our busiest periods, and we find a lot of local customer support during these times, which we are of course hoping will be the case over the next few months.”

She added: “However, with the current situation ever changing, nobody knows what is round the corner and that is what the general worry is in the town. This, I believe is what is spurring people on to support each other in making it through what may well end up being a harsh winter.

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“The fact that so many of the local traders have opted to take part speaks volumes about the community spirit here and the desire to see our wee town thrive.”

Heather Little, co-chair of the Helensburgh and Lomond Artisans Association, also registered an interest in the initiative and said it could prove beneficial for independent crafters.

She said: “We are all of the opinion that money is going to be tight quite soon so going with the shop local ethos we are hoping that people might want to buy unique presents this Christmas.

“Christmas is what we work up to but this year people are going to have to think about shopping differently.

“The local businesses have adapted really quickly, doing home deliveries and takeaways, and that will get more people to look at them.

“I think it will be a different Christmas and there may be a sea change with regards to presents because people aren’t seeing each other.

“Hopefully we’ll see more personal touches with gifts this year, which can only be a good thing.”

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Vivien Dance, chair of the Helensburgh and Lomond Chamber of Commerce, said anything which boosts local businesses would be welcomed.

She said: “We have a town renowned for its independent shops and with people avoiding city centres it’s more important now that local towns have shops open. We are fortunate here in Helensburgh and we don’t want to lose any of them.

“We should all recognise that they are trying to earn a living in the most difficult of times. I am sure people will rally round because I do believe that people now see the value of having a town centre with the type of businesses we have got.

“The chamber has always supported shopping local. We have made this our first stand on current issues since lockdown. We commended our local businesses for all they were doing to keep us fed and watered and supplied and we have encouraged people to pay back that loyalty by shopping local.

“The feedback we are getting is that generally people are doing that.

“We would support any initiative, no matter where it comes from or what the idea is, to encourage shopping local. The more the merrier.

“Ideas generate different responses from different parts of the community and that is all to be welcomed. Bring it on.

“We are always concerned about any restrictions that impact on businesses and we saw nothing worse than when our restaurants and pubs were closed. But our local businesses have done exceptionally well in making their places of business Covid compliant and I know they are all working very hard to do that.”

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