Peebles shops celebrate reopening after 3 months of lockdown

On Tuesday morning Border Telegraph reporter Hilary Scott spoke to the retailers who are back in business, while photographer Helen Barrington captured their smiles.

Despite a large number of locals wearing face masks, the town of Peebles is ghostly no more.

As Scotland eases gently out of lockdown, businesses are tentatively opening their shops ready for a new way of working.

A limited number of customers are allowed within the town’s quaint shops, social distancing remains in place, and hand sanitiser and protective screens abound. It is the dawning of a new era for shopkeepers as they fight to keep their businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

Among the businesses open is menswear retailer Graham McGrath, the long-established family-run business.

Owner David McGrath said: “Despite the rain yesterday we had a good first day. There were a few folk out and about and we got to catch up with customers that had ordered things before lockdown.

"There’s a bit of buzz about the town and it’s great to be back.”

The owner of the Gift Box, Stephanie Morrison, has been busy throughout lockdown due to her role as deputy manager of the Peeblesshire Foodbank, alongside her husband James.

But staff member Lucy McKenzie was behind the cash register ready to greet customers with a smile.

“It feels very strange to be back, but we’re so pleased to be open again," she said.

Meanwhile the owner of Brevity Fashion Boutique, Eleanor Mabon, feels like she’s never been away.

“I was so surprised at how busy it was because I thought nobody is going to come out in this weather," she said.

"I think folk were just glad to get out of the house and thought, 'Well, I’ve stayed in the house for three months, I’m going out now regardless of the weather'.

“I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed the rest but it is back to business.

"I have a one-way system which works well but folk are used to social distancing now – they know what to do.”

Staff at Fine Rogerson Footwear had their PPE gear on and had the first customer through the door at 9am on Monday.

“We had our first sale just after 9am," said manager Kath Traynor. “We had more male customers than normal which shows deep down they do want to shop!

"We’ve been doing all the necessary cleaning – you could eat your dinner off this floor."

Some fishy business pulled us away from the shoe shop and it wasn’t the smell of feet.

Ross Dougal Fish Merchant took a gamble and decided to continue trading throughout the lockdown.

It was a gamble that paid off, though, according his daughter Brooke.

She said: “We were worried to start with because we have to get our stock in fresh every week and we didn’t know how it was going to go.

"But we ended up being really busy with a lot of local support so it’s been a relief.

“It’s amazing seeing the town busier because it’s been like a ghost town apart from a little queue outside our shop and at Forsyths.”

Further along the street we popped into Keith Walter Jewellers. Despite bumping into the clear protective screens every now and then, staff member Patricia Ovejero, says she’s happy to get back to some normality.

She said they have been kept busy doing small jobs for customers like changing batteries and watch straps.

Across the road, there was a socially distanced queue forming outside the newly fitted-out cafe and takeaway Della’s.

Della Murray and her partner Artur Budenko came out to have a chat with us.

“We closed on the first week of lockdown," said Della, "and then we bumped into a few of the locals and key workers who said they couldn’t get anything to eat so we decided to open back up.

"We had a chat with environmental health who guided us through what we needed to do to stick to regulations."

Asked their thoughts on some shops opening back up, Della replied: “It’s just fab. We’ve been lonely and missed them all, so it was nice to see them all back yesterday.

“We have been very fortunate as a high street regarding business losses.

"It is our first anniversary in a fortnight and it has been sink or swim for us.

"We’ve kept fairly busy through this period, but it’s all testament to Artur’s food – I can’t take credit for that.”

The town of Peebles isn’t quite as bustling as it once was, but locals have heard the rallying cry from their high street to ‘shop local’.

And as long as people keep this in mind, shops and businesses in Peeblesshire will go from surviving to thriving.