The small business owners overwhelmed by support for local companies since pandemic began

This year has proved to be the most difficult year in recent memory for many local businesses due to coronavirus, but support for local companies is on the rise as communities rally round local traders whose businesses have faced unthinkable challenges due to the pandemic.

A recent YouGov poll found 38% of people had changed their shopping habits to shop locally due to lockdown restrictions brought on by the pandemic, offering vital support to local shops, cafes, restaurants and more.

It comes as the Echo runs its Support Local campaign, aimed at encouraging people to use their local shops and services.

Washington is home to a variety of thriving local businesses who offer vital and unique services to residents and the community has stepped up to ensure they are supported during these unprecedented times.

Here we talk to six Washington business owners and entrepreneurs who have battled on against the pandemic with the help of community support.

Rachel Jobling - Glam Rocks Boutique

Rachel Jobling, 33, from Washington, launched the motivational slogan clothing business ‘Glam Rocks Boutique' two years ago.

Rachel’s home-based fashion firm sells clothing with positive, motivational slogans aimed at inspiring and motivating customers and those around them and came about after Rachel, who suffers from anxiety, used motivational slogans to get herself through difficult times.

With a social media following of over 6000, Rachel saw her sales soar during the first national lockdown and put it down to the rise in support of local business.

She said: “I have seen a massive rise in public support for local businesses and it’s amazing. Before Covid, I think the general public would assume products from small businesses were expensive and would go and try to find something similar on the high street for cheaper.

“I believe they now understand the hard work, time and effort us small business owners put in to what we do as well as them gaining the personal touch and that means more than something mass-produced on the high street.”

Darren Tyrie - Pinch-an-inch Body Transformation Centre

Darren Tyrie, 40, has been keeping Washington fit for more than 20 years, first as a personal trainer and now as owner of the Pinch-an-inch Body Transformation Centre gym.

Darren, who started off travelling to people's homes and delivering one-to-one sessions, even sold his car in order to buy equipment when he first started off, and later fulfilled his dream of opening up his own gym.

However, Darren’s hard work was put in jeopardy earlier this year when he was forced to close for four months during the first national lockdown where he feared he may not be able to reopen.

Despite the forced closure, members rallied to support the business and Darren offered online bootcamps while the country stayed at home, to keep the gym afloat.

The second lockdown, and the present Tier 4 restrictions, have also seen him forced to close. But he is determined to continue to support the community both physically and mentally after an extremely difficult year, and Pinch-an-inch continues to operate online.

Darren said: “I have a deep passion for helping people get back in shape, overcoming health conditions and becoming more confident.”

Carl Sacco - Saccos Sweets

Saccos Sweets is one of Washington’s most historic shops, having first opened over 65 years ago, in 1954.

The business is run by Carl Sacco, whose father Tony first opened the shop as an Italian coffee bar and ice cream confectionery business and it is now a stalwart of local Washington businesses.

Like all non-essential business owners, Carl was forced to close his shop earlier this year for the longest amount of time in its 66-year history, something which did not come easily for a man who was used to regular chats with returning customers.

The store reopened over the summer and was delighted with the response from customers who were keen to support the local business.

Carl is hoping to see the family store continue to attract support from the local community for many years to come.

He said: “It was very hard to close the shop especially with no idea of how long we would be shut. The shop is always open six days a week, and we have regular customers who pop in most days, sometimes just for a chat, so it was very strange to just close up and leave.

“It (was) fantastic to be open again. Lots of people have sent us messages of support and our customers have been fantastic, we can't thank them enough.”

Unfortunately, Tier 4 restrictions mean Saccos is also currently closed.

Arif Sheikh - Bombay Barn

Owner of Indian restaurant Bombay Barn, Arif Sheikh, was heavily praised during the first national lockdown for going above and beyond to support the community through the difficult time, launching a food donation hub, offering free food to struggling families and key workers and creating make your own pizza kits to put a smile on children’s faces.

As the owner of a restaurant, 2020 has not been easy for Arif, but instead of letting it get the better of him he turned Bombay Barn into a takeaway and set off on a mission to support the community.

Using the power of social media, Arif was able to help families and children struggling with the impact of the pandemic by sharing what he was doing while Bombay Barn was forced to close.

Together with the help of the local community Arif has battled back against the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and made the best of a bad situation.

He said: “We’ve tried our best to support the local community in this difficult time, ranging from giving out a select number of free meals each day, to those that are vulnerable, to sending free meals to our local emergency services.”

Sophie Sanderson - Little Club Crafts

Little Club Crafts is one of Washington’s newest local businesses, having launched in June earlier this year when Sophie Sanderson, 27, used money from a refunded holiday to start the business.

Mum-of-two Sophie had always wanted to start her own business and after her family holiday got cancelled due to coronavirus, she thought now would be the perfect time to kickstart her business with support for local on the rise.

Having invested a large amount of savings into starting the business, Sophie was initially hesitant but quickly saw her risk pay off thanks to the support local businesses are currently receiving from the community.

Little Club Crafts provides personalise, home made products such as bags, t-shirts and gifts.

After being in business for just a few months, during one of the most difficult trading years in history, Sophie has been overwhelmed with the positive feedback and quickly built up a customer base.

She said: “We feel our journey has a long and prosperous road ahead and we’ve really hit the ground running. Initially we were very hesitant to invest our savings into a small business during such an uncertain time; but since launch those doubts have been cast aside.”

Sharon Johnstone - Zig Zag Alterations

Sharon Johnstone, 36, runs one of Washington’s most successful local businesses, Zig Zag Alterations, and has worked with big names including Rod Stewart and David Guest.

Sharon was born with a cleft lip and palate, meaning her upper face never developed properly, which resulted in her suffering huge confidence issues.

In 2005 she underwent life-changing surgery to reconstruct her nose, which she said gave her the confidence to launch Zig Zag Alterations in 2006, from her conservatory.

Now, 14 years later, Sharon has become a well known name around Washington with her business going from strength to strength and even appearing in the Channel 5 documentary ‘The Estate: Life Up North’.

Zig Zag Alterations have continued working and supporting the community during the coronavirus pandemic and are thankful for all the support they’ve received since launching, especially since the start of the pandemic.

She said: “I’ve put zips in car hoods, fork lift doors, golf buggies, biker boots, riding boots, handbags, music cases, fishing gear, hunting gear, the list goes on. At Zig Zag Alternations our motto is ‘you name it, we sew it.”

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on SAFC and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.