Paul Birbank

By Paul Birbeck, Blue Badge Tour Guide with

How have the Vales’ small businesses coped with 2020?

I was always taught that years ending in ‘66’ were the most memorable in British history.1066 (Battle of Hastings),1666 (Great Fire of London) & 1966 (England win World Cup). Well, maybe history will remember 2020 as a major pivotal moment!

Record-breaking extremes of weather associated with global warming, Brexit and of course a worldwide pandemic. Life is never going to be exactly the same again as these occurrences are resulting in major adjustments in the way we organize our social, economic and healthy life style.

One change that has interested me has been the shift to home working and the declining importance of town centres and urban areas.

The increase in online shopping is causing the collapse of established town stores and having a major impact on jobs; many of us are now more confident to interact using social media to converse with family, friends and importantly, do business. The speed at which houses are selling across the area also seems to indicate an apparent desire for families to relocate from urban areas to the countryside for a better quality of life – the housing market across the Vale reflecting this vibrancy.

With these thoughts in mind, last November I interviewed a business acquaintance who runs her own business in the area. Tessa Corney owns Tessa’s Tiaras. Her work involves designing and creating handmade accessories aimed at, but not exclusively for, the wedding market and brides as she makes products including tiaras, hair vines, veils and embroidered pieces.

Tessa started trading from home in April 2005 and opened her first studio space in 2007. Last summer, mid-pandemic, she relocated her business from Wincanton to the Gibbs Farm Units near Stalbridge.

Her old studio was accessed via shared stairs and facilities which meant that not only was it tricky for customers with mobility issues, but there was no control over other people coming in and out of the building which just did not work within a Covid-19 risk assessment! Both problems were solved by moving. Her new studio is more reflective of her work and is a beautiful bright space.

Tessa commented “I love that I can go to my studio and feel that I am in control of offering my customers as safe an environment as possible. I get to see some beautiful views on my way to work and the courtyard is kept very tidily by my landlord. It is just a pleasant environment to be in.

My dog, Jessie, and I get to say hello to the cows every morning too!”

The pandemic has significantly affected business. The usual wedding trade has pretty much paused. With no wedding fairs happening and limits on weddings for the foreseeable, Tess is ticking along quietly fulfilling orders for sewn garments for a long term customer and, as Sherborne Walks can testify, embroidery to workwear for local businesses.

Gibbs Farm Unit’s are a typical example of numerous small industrial business sites found across the Vale. The relatively remote rural location really suits Tessa’s work style. A high street location would not work. Here Tessa can avoid being interrupted when focusing on tricky (and sometimes secretive) designs, so her customers get her full focus. The Unit offers Tessa some lovely business neighbours and so she feels she’s getting the best of both worlds.

For Sherborne Walks, a new lockdown means that once again we have lost all visitors, our foreign guests and coach parties cancelled, routine weekly group trading completely ceased. The situation thankfully slightly improved towards the end of the year, and like the many small independent businesses from all sectors in the area we are optimistic that trade will recover during 2021.