Then & Now

Then and Now

By George Platt, Year 7V

Then

Connaught Avenue is the busiest street in Frinton. Hundreds of shops make their profit off the popularity of the street. There are probably 1000 visitors a day, looking around inside shops, buying the typical touristy items: fridge magnets, local arts and crafts, and postcards to send home. There, the skies are always blue and the clouds never rain. The shops on Connaught Avenue are typically fish and chip shops (which smell horrible), clothing stores, cafes and restaurants. The food at the restaurants tastes like it was made by your favourite chef who adds your favourite spices; it’s simply delicious. The other shops though, are a tourist trap, luring unknowing punters inside for hours on end. In short, Connaught Avenue is like a mall on a street. Connaught Avenue’s visitors are always a friendly sort of people, taking their dog for a walk, going to Sainsbury’s to get some milk, or possibly looking for some furniture for their new house (Harwoods of Essex is the place for them!). In Frinton, we mainly have elderly people who enjoy fresh air and a walk on the freshly washed beach. These people always wear sandals and light clothes, always colourful, with a hat and sunglasses. They enjoy striding up and down the street, showing off their newly-bought clothing. To me, they don’t look like the type of people best suited to show off their clothes, but it’s their choice. Connaught Avenue houses my father’s department store. You might remember me mentioning the name: Harwoods of Essex. Harwoods of Essex is Frinton’s only furniture store. It’s a family business which always has a customer or two inside. If no one comes in for a while, it’s still alright because Harwoods also has its own flats above the store which people rent to live in. In the back, there is a storage area and a showroom. Now

Connaught Avenue is an almost empty street. People rarely go there and would only go there for shopping. Shops are having to fire employees to make money and are worrying about the cost of rent. There are probably 10 visitors a day, looking through dusty windows, trying to find a special offer since the prices have gone up. Here, the skies are cloudy and it always rains. The fish and chip shops have closed down, so have the cafes, restaurants, and the clothing stores. The only shops open are Harwoods of Essex and Sainsbury’s. It’s like everyone died. Because of the emptiness, you can feel the tears of the shops and the cries of the clouds. You can hear the quietness like it’s screaming in your ear and can taste the bitterness of the rain drops.

Connaught Avenue’s quietness and the lockdown has made everyone suspicious. It’s like being in a room where everyone has a horrible secret. People wear face masks, grey raincoats, and keep their head down to not be seen. These people only come here if they have a good reason. After doing their shopping, they walk briskly past their neighbours’ houses, watching the people suspiciously looking out of their windows, as they walk on with their anemic looking shopping bags. They are all now cold, bitter, jealous people. They like to be alone maintaining their facade, falsely and unbecomingly displaying their wealth to the world. No-one is fooled. My father’s store, Harwoods, needs help. Barely anyone comes in and the sales have slowly fallen to none per day. The people in the flats stay inside knowing that eventually something terrible will happen. At the moment, I’m trying to make an online shop. I’m learning programming at the moment, so I thought it would be helpful to do that. Harwoods is just an empty building now. An emotionless shell where several people live and a family work. It’s like someone has cut the store off from the world. It’s an abandoned building, waiting to come alive.

Honestly, the people left out there, on Connaught Avenue, have abandoned Harwoods. It’s something that nobody needs and is going to stay like that for a while. This is what happened to Frinton. This is what quarantine has done.