As more and more shoppers get behind the ‘shop local’ message, Forres is becoming a one-stop-shop for people who care about their community and try to buy locally where they can.
When we heard local woman Sarah Coulson was walking, purse in hand, up one side of Forres High Street and down the other on a Christmas shopping mission, we caught up with her as she neared the end of her journey to find out just how easy, or difficult, buying for her family had been in the town.
Sarah knows only too well the plight of local shopkeepers encouraging people to shop on their doorstep. She owned a bookshop in Forres in the nineties called the Bookmark at 162 High Street, and recalled her frustration at hearing people had travelled long distances to get what she stocked in the shop had they bothered to look.
“I remember when we had our shop, we would have people come in at the end of the day on a Saturday, and they’d been through to Aberdeen or Inverness, and they’d come in, and they’re like, Ooh, you’ve got it! We were through in such and such a place, and they didn’t have it”.
Sarah decided that she wanted to make the effort to go from one end of the street to the other before looking elsewhere for anything on her list.
Keeping it local
“Thinking back to Christmases that have gone past, we would have always shopped locally.
“I really wanted to support the newer shops, having a good browse and if I can spend local, then I will.
“Having had the business ourselves and knowing what a struggle it can be, wanting to support the local ones. It’s just been so nice seeing the high street filling up over the last year.
The town centre has had a dozen new shops open in the last 12 months. Sarah said the only difficulty was buying for her teenage nephews.
“They’re harder. They like Warhammer, which Wrights do have some of, but because they’ve been doing it for quite a few years, they’ve got most of it, so I’ll probably need to order that. I’ve got stuff for my mum, dad, sister-in-law, auntie, a couple of nephews and nieces, so I’ve got a good bit.
Good place to shop
“Forres at the moment is a great place to shop. So many people from other local towns think Forres is such a nice wee place to visit, which I think really helps. And with the Christmas lights on instead of lots of empty places, it makes a difference.
I mean, obviously there’s lights in Elgin, but you can’t drive through [the town centre] anymore. So it doesn’t catch the eye. Nairn, again, you sort of bypass most of the shops if you’re going through the town.
“Whereas here, yes, there is the bypass, but I think just having a nice selection of different kinds of shops, having the new kiltwear place and lots of nice little knick-knacky bits, like Babalu and Gallery 55 and places like that.
“I’ve bought in the jewellers, Home Comforts, The Washington, as well.”
At the end of her day, Sarah spent around £300 in ten local shops.
“Having worked in Nairn for five years, one of the things I really missed was just coming into the local high street and, seeing the people and seeing what’s on offer.
“It’s nice just to have a thorough browse and get to know the new shops.”