Located in Redfield, Church Road is one of Bristol's most diverse communities and home to brilliant pubs, international delis, independent toy shops and even a handmade Gambian jeweller. But to what extent has the ongoing economic situation and cost of living impacted traders at Church Road? We talked to seven traders to see how business is going and the impact the cost of living crisis and high energy bills have had. Here’s what we found:
5. Citygate Printing and Photo Centre
Layi, the owner of Citygate Printing and Photo Centre told us that Christmas had been quiet, with fewer people having banners and tickets printed for events. He said : "Everybody just wants the most essential commodity like food, that's what people are really concentrating on. But hopefully things will get better this time around. But it really has challenges for everybody. It's really affecting everybody, including the business community in Bristol and Church Road too."
6. Secka
Momodu the owner of Secka said: "It's not easy around here, it gets quieter in the morning because of the living crisis. People don't come out sometimes until later. Maybe one, or two. It used to be busier in the morning through to the evening. But since the cost of living crisis, people come in a little later. I've been here about 17 years now and some shops come and go, but it's not easy and it depends on what they're selling."
7. Southville Deli
Niahm from Southville Deli said: "It's difficult to say for me, because I've only worked here for a couple of years, and so it probably hasn't changed that much from my perspective, because I haven't really seen it before that. You definitely notice a lot more, maybe that people would not be doing big shops until around payday. Then there's suddenly a lot more people coming in, but maybe the week leading up to payday is always a lot quieter. So yeah, the week before the end of the month is definitely a lot quieter than footfall was."