An Angus trader insists a high street resurgence can be more than just a fairytale for Arbroath.
Louise McGivney opened the county’s first and only “fairytale shop” Sarah-Lou in February this year and claims her business is one of a small army staging a comeback against the boarded-up town centre.
The entrepreneur believes Arbroath is in the throws of an upsurge, after a number of independent and chain stores opened new premises this year.
Her unusual store is aimed at girls and sells everything a young lady would need to become a storybook princess for a party.
Although the high street still has a number of vacant outlets, Louise insists there is reason to be optimistic for the town’s future.
She said: “I do agree that many of the large retailers have closed, but this is no different from anywhere else. Arbroath is a little town struggling like all other towns in the UK, but we are trying hard, and we are trying hard to attract people from surrounding towns and cities to come and enjoy our historic town.
“My shop is a girls’ shop selling fairy clothing, shoes, dresses, doll’s clothes, hair accessories and so much more. I have had people from Newcastle, Dundee, London, Glasgow, several from Aberdeen, not to mention all the local support from Arbroath and the smaller surrounding towns.
“I want people to know that retail is not dead in the town and, as well as Poundland and Home Bargains, other shops are opening.”
Home Bargains opened their new £500,000 store in the Abbeygate Centre over the weekend, creating 30 jobs in the process. The shop is next door to competitor Poundland and offers a range of goods from toys and sweets to electrical goods and fragrances.
Louise highlighted that in addition to discount stores, a number of other traders have started up this year, including Zeb for Occasions which sells ladies’ wear, JM Bakery from Carnoustie, Harper Interiors, Cash for Clothes, Boots Optician and Peacocks Clothing. A new Asda store is due to open in November on the outskirts of the town and a Greggs bakery is also in the pipeline for the high street at the site of the former Stead and Simpson shoe retailer.
Louise said: “Arbroath is a normal town struggling with the recession the same as everywhere else and continued negative press on the retail sector creates a self-fulfilling situation.”
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“People begin to believe it is all doom and gloom, mindsets don’t change, potential new retailers go elsewhere and the town continues to spiral downwards. Positive thinking goes a long way for tourists, shoppers and the people who live here.”
Arbroath West councillor David Fairweather said there were now only around 13 vacant outlets in the high street and urged residents from across Angus to visit the town to see what is on offer.
He added: “The doom and gloom that people speak about shops in Arbroath is just not the case. When somebody complains to me about the high street I ask them: ‘When was the last time you were actually down there?’
“Arbroath has been down in the dumps for the last 20 years because of under-investment, but that is now coming in and a lot of bigger businesses are now looking at Angus to put in their shops.”
Arbroath East councillor Donald Morrison said: “There has been a bit of negativity around the closure of some of the larger stores but there are also reasons to be positive. Asda is being built at great speed and there are two new shops that have opened up in the Abbeygate.
“We want to entice people who live in Arbroath to come into the town centre and spend their money, but it would also be nice if we could give people in the likes of Dundee and Perth reasons for them to come to us rather than going to them.”
Meanwhile, rumours persist that B&M Bargains are in talks to take over the former Focus DIY store at the Westway Retail Park, closed then the chain folded earlier this year.
The firm has refused to confirm its intentions, but an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.