Alnwick businesses benefit from summer influx of visitors following struggles of lockdown

Day trippers and holidaymakers flocked to the town in August as Covid-19 restrictions were eased and many UK residents opted for a staycation closer to home.

"It’s been amazing, a bit like it is at Christmas,” said Karen Scrimshaw of Marilyn & Melrose, an interiors and lifestyle shop on Narrowgate.

“It’s been really busy over the past few weeks and it kind of makes up for the lockdown.”

There has also been a welcome turnaround in the fortunes of Barter Books, the renowned secondhand book store.

Mary Manley, who runs it with her husband Stuart, recalled: “Back in March we felt the business had never been stronger and was looking really good but then almost everything shut down.

"Three months later we were allowed to reopen on June 15 with other non-essential businesses but we weren’t getting many customers at all. People were being extremely wary and it was dire for us.

"We then slowly started getting more tourists arriving, maybe because they weren’t allowed to go abroad, so we took some hope from that.

"The big day for us though was when the social distancing guidelines changed to 1m-plus. Since then it’s really picked up.”

Pubs, restaurants and cafes – a key element of Barter Books’ offer – were allowed to reopen from July 4.

"We’ve often had queues of people waiting to get in because we’re still only allowed a maximum of 60 people inside at one time,” said Mary. “We’ve even had to pay people to stand outside and control the number of customers coming in.

"Thankfully it’s been a good period for us and I hope it has been for local B&Bs, restaurants and shops too.

"We will never catch up on where we were last year but if we can somehow keep Covid down and avoid a second wave then we will be okay.

"It’s been a rough period for everyone but there have certainly been a lot of people here and I hope others have benefited.

"People are starting to go home now and it’s levelling off a bit but it’s been a great month, much better for us and I hope for everyone else.”

Teeenager Matt Robson, who runs Matt Robson Artwork, added: “It has been really good few months.”

Fiona Nelson-van Loon, who runs gift shop Ruby Tuesday, thanked customers old and new for their support in recent weeks.

“That was an August like no other month ever,” she said.

“It really can’t be overstated what it means. It’s basically the difference between survival and an empty shop on the streets, it’s that real and the fine line is very fine indeed.

“Alnwick is buzzing, it’s a joy to stand in the sunshine outside the shop and see everyone enjoying outdoor seating and a mooch about our glorious little town. Now bring on September!”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

If you can, please do pick up a copy when you are at the shops. Thank you for your support.