Reflecting on the community reactions to the reopening of her north London cookshops, Prep and Richard Dare, owner Holly Wilson says: “The outpouring of joy from our customers has been truly heart-warming. Everyone just wanted to come in and look around and drink in the atmosphere and be in the company of others! Such a lovely experience.”
She reports: “The first few weeks were predictably buoyant and reassuringly so. It has reminded me that (hopefully) the high street is still a viable option. The growth of online has been so steep, obviously due to necessity, but it has felt like it would change the way people shopped forever. And perhaps it has. However, for my customers, it has made them realise how important a real shop is.”
Holly adds: “How being able to look at and feel a product is so much better than seeing it on a screen. How the buzz of buying something in real life is so much sweeter than the click of a button. How having real human interaction – a laugh, a chat, getting advice from a person face to face is worth so much and is good for the soul. They have really felt the loss of that community and are shopping with renewed vigour to ensure that they don’t lose it again. And long may it last.”
* To read the full article by Holly, see the latest June edition of Progressive Housewares magazine.
Top: Holly is appreciated the renewed vigour for shopping locally.
