From sanitising stations to one-way systems – ‘excitement and nerves’ of shop owners as Sheffield’s independents prepare to reopen

Sanitising stations, two-metre tape marks, one-way traffic, and till shields are just a few of the measures that have had to be implemented as these small business owners set about getting the city’s retail industry back up and running this month.

And for young independents, such as Wildwood Artisan Gifts, on Fitzwilliam Gate, and Small Stuff UK, in Crookes, it’s been a particularly challenging time.

Small Stuff had only been open just over a year when the government ordered all non-essential shops to close at the end of March.

“I’ll never forget our local community police officers coming around and telling all the shopkeepers to clear their stock out and take it home, as they didn’t know what was going to happen and didn’t think it was safe to leave it all on-site,” says owner Hellen Stirling-Baker, who runs the ethical children’s products shop.

“Luckily, there have been no problems around here, and I was absolutely thrilled when I could begin loading everything back into the shop last week, in preparation to re-open.

“It’s so lovely seeing stock on the shelves again!”

Wildwood owner Lindsay Lonchar, and her husband George, had just invested nearly £9,000 in new spring and summer stock, including mothers day gifts, when the government order came.

The stock has sat virtually untouched since lockdown began.

“It’s been really challenging,” confirms Lindsay who, along with her family, launched the business in January 2019.

“We were such a new business, we hadn’t even broken even yet, so to suddenly find ourselves with a bill for thousands of pounds of stock, and a shop that was closed for the foreseeable future, was really a worry.

“Luckily we got a grant from the government, which was the only thing that stopped us going under.

“Obviously, by the end of the summer, that money will be gone, so we’re really relying on our customers coming back once we’re open again from this week.

“Let’s hope nobody cancels Christmas!”

Like many businesses across the globe, both shops came up with plans to keep things ticking over whilst in lockdown.

Lindsay says: “We had to furlough our staff, but we were so lucky that our sons really stepped up.

“Our 16-year-old son went from helping out on Sundays in the kitchen, to learning everything he could and keeping our takeaway ticking over three days a week.

“Our other son, aged 20, was home from uni on break when lockdown began, and has been working for us as a delivery driver.

“The takeaway food has done really well for us in this time, and we’re so grateful to the community that has supported us, and delighted our doors are now reopening.”

For Hellen, focusing on Small Stuff’s online shop proved to be the business’s saviour.

“We were quite lucky in that our online shop was already quite established,” says the 33-year-old.

“We put all our efforts into that, and if anything it’s actually gotten bigger during lockdown, which is absolutely brilliant.”

And despite her excitement at reopening on Monday, Hellen admits she is apprehensive about how our nation’s return to shopping will work.

“I’m so excited to be getting people back in the shop, but I’m also nervous,” she says.

“I’m used to people picking things up in the shop, and kids touching everything, so I’m apprehensive about moving away from that and how it’s going to work.

“I want my customers to be as comfortable as possible.”

To that end, Hellen has put her own ‘fun’ twist on the new safety measures - with an automatic hand sanitiser in the shape of a pig just inside the door, rainbow markers on the floor to guide people around the shop and keep them well-spaced, and a hand-painted glass panel at the till.

She will also be reducing her opening hours, and keeping the doors to the shop open, to allow a free flow of air.

Over at Wildwood, the family has also gone all out on safety, with a sanitising station, floor markers and till guard, as well as the mandatory wearing of masks for all staff. They will also be accepting card-only payments, to reduce contact.

One shop owner who has decided to hold off on opening this week is Bird’s Yard on Chapel Walk.

Owner Michelle Walton said this week that she had taken the decision to aim for a July opening instead, saying: “We are holding off opening immediately for a number of reasons; we don’t feel with our business model that we want to put our designers at risk before we see the impact of how opening impacts covid figures.

“We have till guards and have moved things such as cards, where people spend more time, to a different area.

“We’re also asking people not to handle goods where possible and having less stock on the shelves and prices at the front .

“We will ask people to cover their mouths and we will promote clock and collect and appointment times .

“Our biggest fear is the low footfall due to our city centre location.

“Parking is expensive and I’m not sure people are ready for public transport.”

Lindsay adds: “We’re confident, with all the measures we’ve put in place, that we can keep ourselves and our customers safe, but we obviously have no idea how the next few weeks are going to go, in terms of people returning to shop.

“We just pray and hope they do, or we know that small businesses like ours just won’t survive.

“We have no idea what the next year will bring, but we will be here, and for now we’re just taking it one week, and one day at a time.”