Businesses on Allerton Road, Liverpool, struggle with economic shifts impacting spending habits.
Roger said the road was empty last summer and he was sad a French bistro closed. He is not surprised by businesses closing; he said many businesses have come and gone, and Greenhouse Social closed after a short time.
Barclays bank and Toni & Guy also closed, and even a pet shop moved away. Roger thinks many things hurt businesses. He mentioned the pandemic and government decisions.
Roger shared that people spent money to improve their shops, then they saw Allerton Road was different. One customer stopped coming because his mortgage rose. Raising National Insurance hurts businesses, Roger added.
The government says the tax funds public services. Seb Orucu owns Olive Tree restaurant. He said people spend less money now and he struggles to pay staff and bills each month.
Brian Shrigley runs a fish shop. He thinks restaurants struggle the most, while his traditional shop has loyal customers. He said people still cook at home and he likes the friendly people there.
Christine and Matthew Clark shop on Allerton Road. They like the convenience and think it’s like a small village. They know businesses open and close and see this happen in other places too.
Jenny Sinclair works at The Glass Onion Café. She thinks Allerton Road is charming and likes the people and restaurants. She also likes the charity shops.
Charlotte Chesters works at Doogle’s Donuts. She wants to live near Allerton Road because she sees more young families moving there. It has everything people need, she said.
High-end restaurants face the biggest challenges, but there is still hope things will get better. Seb hopes student discounts will help his restaurant, and Roger plans to open his cafe in the evenings again.
Roger wants to rebuild Allerton Road’s good name. He wants to work around money problems, because people do not have the same spending money.