The all-important Christmas sales period is upon us. This is traditionally the busiest time for many of our local independent retailers. Yet, shoppers arriving in Bishop’s Stortford, (which is supposed to be an ‘affluent, thriving market town’) are now greeted with a large boarded up shopfront where once was Pearsons Department Store.
What sort of message does this send out to the festive Christmas Shoppers who’re thinking of dragging themselves away from their laptops by the fire and bothering to make the journey in to town, to pay for the privilege of parking?
We all know that empty stores are an eyesore which convey negativity. When people see boarded-up shops they get the feeling that the town is struggling. This negativity starts to fester and has a knock on effect to not just the adjacent shops, but all of the retailers in the area.
C’mon Town Council, pull your fingers out, do something positive! It’s only been there a short while and we’re already Bored with it JUST being Boarded up!…
At least give it a lick of paint, or maybe even go mad, push the boat out and treat us to a splash of festive creativity? Please don’t leave us with drab, depressing wooden hoardings over Christmas!
Then if the ‘boring boards’ turn out not just to be for Christmas, but for life – freshen them up every season – keep our shoppers engaged and happy, or they’ll just shop online where life is far more vibrant and colourful… and FREE!
Merry Christmas to One and All!
