Local business owner urges community to support Stratford shops facing challenges like decreased foot traffic and rising costs.
Abigail owns Domino Style, a women’s fashion shop, and has worked there for twenty years. She says business has never been this hard for her. Small towns depend on independent businesses like hers, but foot traffic decreased a lot recently in town. Costs rose, construction occurred, and weather worsened. People are not going out as much anymore, she said.
Online forums often focus on the negative things, suggesting what people want to see in town. However, they need to visit shops to keep them open. Many businesses recently shut down completely, and Abigail is afraid of her shop also closing suddenly.
Abigail wants to save Stratford town center because too much negativity exists; people feel hopeless at the moment. She wants love for businesses before trouble arrives, because no one offers positive encouragement to locals, she feels. She thinks this destroys community spirit.
Abigail asks for help from leaders, saying councillors and the government should care too. She claims the town has never lacked such care. After her message, the BID manager visited her store. Aaron Corsi markets the town’s businesses, but his workload is heavy, she worries often, and she thinks innovation still lacks sufficient output.
She thinks plastic plants were a waste of funds. People prefer free, easy parking and better roads. She asked where big companies’ BID funds go, definitely arguing that these funds should secure Stratford’s future.
Tourists help, but locals matter more, she strongly feels. About 30,000 locals are potential customers, and they need their town just as much as the shops do. She wishes people would shop locally on Saturdays.
Covid caused isolation, she believes strongly now. Working from home hurt mental well-being overall. People need to go downtown to connect. They should support the community because social contact improves mental health.
People visit her shop based on social media posts. They often say they would love Stratford. Yet, locals focus on problems, lacking pride, asking why they shouldn’t promote Stratford more often? Her shop is award-winning, yet people do not know it and Stratford has great restaurants, but few talk about it.
People complain about an empty BHS store. Where is the incentive to fix it urgently? Negativity grows, she said very clearly and directly. Positivity spreads optimism, which is what is really needed.
Abigail appreciates the recent encouragement and support. She thinks she connected with many through her message. People often wait too long to speak out, she feels, and she fears for her business’s future success now. She asks for ideas from people who can assist it, stating clearly: She loves their town and wants it to thrive.