Sign of the times… and how we can make a difference!
As we bounced into 2024 with so many of our own changes and endeavours to generate new, exciting reasons for people to keep visiting Boboli, I have also been very mindful of all the other small businesses doing their best to survive in these very trying times.
Recently Lino and I took a trip to the beautiful Cotswolds. We visited old friends and we were deeply saddened to see so many pubs and restaurants boarded up and ‘closed for business’. A true sign of these tricky times we find ourselves in. Whilst I am not a fan of the expression ‘Use it or Lose it’, nor of the onus of responsibility it puts upon the reader, there is truth in it.
My dad used to say, “Turnover is vanity, but profit is sanity”. As Lino and I have travelled our voyage over these past 25 years, I have come to fully understand and appreciate the sentiment. With escalating costs of – quite literally everything – from utilities to raw ingredients and employment, it is increasingly difficult to achieve that all important ‘bottom line’.
Shop (and eat) local!
So how can we all make a difference? I am a huge fan of shopping local. I love visiting the fabulous fruit and veg market at the back of The Railway on a Thursday. As you know we love Bridge 67, Kingarth Farm Dairy, Hambleton Bakery and GC Morris and Son’s eggs. A little potter around the village, Wistow, The Manor at Tur Langton or Market Harborough. There are so many more local shops and small independents to explore and discover. Usually resulting in lovely one-off purchases for treats and gifts.
Equally, we are keen to see our local restaurants and pubs thrive. They keep a heartbeat in our communities and good local folk in jobs too. Sometimes we are all guilty of seeing a busy place and presume that is the norm. But most often these moments of brilliance are accompanied by less brilliant moments of rather frightening quiet times.
Of course, the cost of living crisis is real, and we are all feeling the pinch. But maybe if we all pull together we won’t see too many boarded-up shop fronts. If we take our moments to celebrate and keep them local, I am sure that we will emerge from the challenge, stronger, fitter and altogether united in our triumph.
So, whilst we at Boboli celebrate the merging of two into one, the launch of breakfasts and the odd cheeky little offer here and there, we will also continue to do our bit to support and encourage our local and fellow warriors in retail and hospitality where we can.
In the meantime, here’s to the green shoots and bursting buds of hope that begin to show themselves. Bring on the brighter days, lighter evenings, and reasons to celebrate life… any day with a ‘Y’ in it I say!!!
‘A presto’ and ciao for now.
Sarah and Lino x
Kibworth Band
