The endless barrage of mainstream media articles tolling the death knell for the High Street certainly do not reflect what I’m seeing locally in St Albans, which remains a bustling and vibrant destination for residents and visitors alike, writes Matt Adams.
Weekends see the city centre packed with people flocking to the 1,000-year-old Charter Market or one of the specialist Sunday markets, filling restaurants and pubs, exploring the independent and chain stores which line its medieval streets.
This is no better evidenced than by the phenomenal support received so far for the St Albans Retailer of the Year Awards, a celebration of the incredible businesses, teams and individuals who make the city such a vibrant place to shop, dine and visit.
In just a few days, almost 1,000 nominations were submitted by people who wanted to recognise the very best of the local retail community and the passion behind the shopfronts that give St Albans its unique character.
The awards shine a spotlight on a wide range of categories representing the city’s diverse retail landscape – from independents and market traders to fashion, food and drink, beauty, lifestyle and customer service excellence – and culminate in a spectacular awards ceremony later this year.
Of course, the awards take time to organise, promote and host, but it’s the local businesses themselves who make them happen, by engaging with their customers and publicising the voting process.
These are retailers who know they have to go the extra mile, but have a loyal and savvy customer base which wants to reward that by nominating them.
Examples abound. Local comic shop Chaos City, wellbeing company Nadya Giffen Therapies, and boutique Up We Pop have been reaching out to customers in person and on social media, and that has been reflected by the large number of nominations they have already received, showing that a bit of extra effort is worthwhile in the long run.
And it’s also a good move from a financial sense – winner of the Independents category at the previous awards, Andy Shoesmith, sold his business as an award-winning success story, and although the figures are confidential, it’s likely that he would have been able to negotiate a higher payout because of this accolade.
Matt Adams is editor of the St Albans Times, a weekly online newspaper and former senior editor with the Archant publishing group. The newspaper jointly sponsors the awards with The City’s Maltings Shopping Centre.
