A Perth couple who say they are making just £150 a WEEK from their gift shop have issued a heartfelt plea for customers.
Craig, 47, and Tanya Burnett, 49, have run The Bee’s Flower Shop on Hospital Street since 2010.
In August, the couple expanded their shop to offer a wider range of gifts including their daughter Katie’s hand-made jewellery, candles, chocolate and honey.
But the revamp has failed to increase sales – and the couple have had no customers at all in their shop for two Saturdays running.
Craig told The Courier he feels “deflated” at the lack of trade.
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He said: “The flower business is doing really well but the reason for that is because it’s online and it’s telephone, so when people are at home they can order.
“That pays the wages.
“We expanded through to the back of the shop about six weeks ago.
“We had quite a small gift section to begin with so we knocked through the back to expand the front.
“I expected a bit more footfall and income, as every day I was posting on social media about what we were doing and how the renovation was going so that people could follow what we were doing.
“We were getting a lot of good support and followers, but since we opened, nothing has increased.
“Originally we were making about £150 at the front of the shop per week and we’re still making that a week if we’re lucky.
“We just can’t get people through the door.
“Since lockdown, a section of people have got used to ordering online and they’ve not changed.
“Little family-run businesses need footfall. They are struggling big time because we can’t seem to get people out of the house to come and support us.
“We need to get people out of that rut that they’re in.
“We all buy online but we, as a family, try to go around once a month to support local businesses.
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“We still do our bit but it’s just trying to get people to understand that if we don’t all do our bit, the city centre is going to crumble away.
“The power is in the people. One customer makes a huge difference.”
One woman who does use the shop is Jennifer McCabe.
She told The Courier: “I always try to support small shops and I’ve told my friends about this place as well.
“Every time I come in here, I see something I like.
“Every time I’m passing here, I come in.”
The couple’s daughter Katie works in the shop and Tanya says they are trying to create a future for her.
She said: “Craig and I do the flowers and my daughter does the front.
“It’s difficult for her because she’s 18 years old and we can only give her a small wage because it’s coming out of the flowers, as there’s nothing in the gift bit.”
Craig added: “It is deflating, especially when you close for three weeks to renovate and that was three weeks of money not coming in, and thousands of pounds going out.”
Conversation