The owner of a new business in Lichfield says she doesn’t believe opening her shop is a gamble.
The area’s shopping scene has suffered a series of blows in recent years, with the losses of stores such as Woolworths, TJ Hughes, Burton and Currys.
However, Fiona Booker believes the city is the perfect location for small shops to thrive.
She has opened Additions of Lichfield in Tudor Row, selling accessories and gifts, and believes Lichfield is a place on the up.
“I moved here ten years ago having lived in Glasgow, London and Southampton and I love it here.
“At that time it was not so bad for shopping. The demise of TJ Hughes had an immediate and detrimental effect on an already fragile local retail economy and a rise in the number of empty stores has made Lichfield almost a shopping ghost town.
“If we have no shops, people will not come, so when I decided to open my shop it was also a chance to be part of saving the city centre, as well as providing products which I don’t believe are easily found already here.
“I don’t see that it is such a gamble. I believe we have just about bottomed out in terms of the economic recession and things are about to pick up.
“When Debenhams opens later this week in Lichfield, we should be encouraged by the show of confidence of one of the biggest names in non-grocery retail has in our local economy.”
Fiona is hoping items such as leather briefcases, messenger bags, wallets, umbrellas, trekking poles and iPad covers will prove popular alongside offerings such as jewellery, cufflinks, hats, scarves and tie slides.
And she wants more would-be business owners to follow her lead.
“Perhaps the landlords and commercial agents will start to put some serious effort into filling all of these empty units with quality tenants and help turn Lichfield into a thriving shopping destination.
“Life is tough for small businesses everywhere at the moment, but I think there is room for optimism.”
