‘The place to be’ - shop owners in Keynsham share optimism post-pandemic

Keynsham is the place to be. That’s according to hairdresser Emma Davis, who opened her Bloss salon on the town’s high street 18 months ago.

“It’s going extremely well,” grins Emma, who previously worked in Bath and who has taken many of her customers with her.

“People in Bath don’t mind coming over to Keynsham as it’s only 15 minutes away. Anyway, the parking is amazing here, it’s really reasonable and close to the shops.”

Ah, the parking. Along with the roadworks and the notorious cycle path that this week hit the headlines for claiming its 60th victim, if one thing comes up in conversation around Keynsham, it’s the parking and not everybody is as positive about it as Emma.

Les works at Starzec’s shoe repair shop, which opened in 1968. He says the lack of parking - and the roadworks - is stopping many customers even shopping in Keynsham.

“I think local trade is coming back after the pandemic, and I think people do have money because the coffee shops are busy, but they say the endless roadworks and the lack of parking stops people from coming into town altogether.”

Les also says locals bemoan the fact that there are so many charity shops on the high street, which has resulted in a lack of variety, although there are still plenty of small independent local businesses.

Across the road in the Polkadot gift shop, Ellie is gearing up for the bank holiday weekend and the Coronation. The shop sells jewellery and cards but it’s also well stocked with King Charles II teddy bears and ‘Coronation blend’ teas ready for the big royal event next week.

Ellie says: “We’ve been busier than expected, particularly around Mother’s Day, but it has slowed down a bit now.

“People have less money, but then there are always birthdays and occasions. It’s surprising that people are still spending money, but they are perhaps a bit more careful.

“It also comes in bursts more than it did - you can tell when people have been paid and the middle of the month is definitely quieter than it was.”

Back at Bloss hair salon, boss Emma is upbeat and confident that the Keynsham high street is entering an exciting new phase.

On the opposite corner, coffee shop Mokka, housed in a former branch of HSBC, opened in March and it’s packed every day.

Emma says: “I’m busier than I expected to be and the owner of Mokka also says he’s busier than he expected to be.

“The world is changing and we need new businesses on the high streets like Keynsham. You can’t buy a haircut or coffee on Amazon or eBay and if you give people a good service and what they want, they’ll always come back.

“I think Keynsham is up-and-coming and you have to be optimistic. We’re getting all kinds of customers and there’s a lot of money in Keynsham.

“There’s plenty of money out there, although the media tell you the opposite. People still spend on haircuts, beauty, coffee and meals out. Let’s face it, even if you haven’t got money, you still need a treat, don’t you?”

One Keynsham shop owner who agrees that the high street is far from dead is Iain Aitchison of Longwell Records, which celebrates its seventh birthday this weekend.

He says: “At the end of August 2022, I was prepared to close the physical shop and work solely online. That might surprise some people but last spring and summer was awful for our Keynsham shop.

“That was mainly due to all the constant road works and changes to parking, but people were - and still are - being cautious with their finances.

“But the amount of effort we put into getting people to come to Keynsham has paid off and we encourage our customers to use all the local shops in the area. Business has improved, we have some great stock at reasonable prices and we’re looking forward to celebrating our seventh birthday now.”