High Street vs Boutique Store

A few years ago we sadly lost Woolworths and soon many high-street favourites started collapsing with the on-going recession including the most recent and tragic one of them all HMV, who have announced they're calling in administrators. It's not only the heartbreak that comes with the disappearance of shops whom most probably have fond memories of, scarily bit by bit our high-street's future is starting to look more like a poundland and betting shop only zone – it’s tragic to say the least. But why is it that these huge branches are going bust?

First the high-street saw an extreme change as its local businesses like butchers and corner shops began to suffer through the build-up of big shopping centres and chain supermarkets. Yet somehow local business is booming whilst the big dogs are collapsing all over the country. But why is it that local business is doing so much better compared to chains that have been around for years?

Though super chains like HMV and Woolies probably conjure up a lot of memories for many generations, those generations including people born well before the naughties anyway, they're obviously not what they used to be anymore. It would feel wrong to say that it is completely down to the recession, especially in the case of HMV. These chains seem to be stuck in their ways whilst the world around them moves on, especially through technology. Yet smaller businesses are popping up all over the high-street, and though some don't quite manage to keep going for very long, for many their new company is a success.         

Small boutique fashion shops for example, take it upon themselves to make new and obscure brands available to people. Though for some people it may be easy to simply find these brands online, for the locals that don't tend travel much further than a few blocks, the local shops bring them everything they need from necessities to fashionable and in trend clothing.

Furthermore the majority of small businesses have that extra element of familiarity and customer loyalty which makes a shopping experience much more endearing than a trip to a chain store where the part time employee would rather be everywhere else than to be serving you at that moment in time. They seem to care about their customers and strive to meet your every need. This may be because smaller stores have to try much harder to keep their business going, but somehow it feels as though big businesses might not have it so easy anymore and could possible learn a thing or two. Maybe it’s once again the time for small, local shops to take over the high-street and though the constant loss of big, memorable chains is often quite sad, there are new memories to be made.

A perfect example of a sustainable smaller store is this beautiful little shop in Hungerford that sells summer wear all year round including some fabulous bikinis. Check it out - www.lielow.co.uk